Johnny Mathis has confirmed he is retiring from performance once he finishes his current run of shows due to “age and memory issues”.
The crooner, who is approaching his 90th birthday, had performances booked throughout the year but his final show will take place earlier than planned on May 18 in Englewood, New Jersey, due to his health issues.
The news was confirmed on the singer’s Facebook page. “It’s with sincere regret that due to Mr Mathis’ age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring and live concerts,” the statement read.
“Johnny Mathis and his entire staff send their heartfelt gratitude to all Mathis fans worldwide for your continued love and support of his music! It’s truly been ‘Wonderful, Wonderful.’”
All shows scheduled for after May 18 have been cancelled and ticket holders will be refunded.
Mathis is closing the book on a career that has lasted seven decades, with his self-titled debut album coming out in 1956. In that time, he has released 73 albums in total, the most recent being 2023’s ‘Christmas Time Is Here’. Ten of these are certified Gold for having sold 500,000 units each and in total, he has sold more than 360 million records worldwide, according to The National Museum of African American History & Culture.
His most popular album, ‘Johnny’s Greatest Hits’, once held the record for the longest-running album to chart on the Billboard 200. It stayed in the chart for 490 weeks from its 1958 release until 1968.
Although he earned a reputation as a classic standard singer and one of the best-selling artists of the 20th century, even those unfamiliar with Mathis in other ways could recognise his version of ‘When A Child Is Born’.
Mathis has been inducted into the Grammys Hall of Fame three times and has also been the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.