Atlanta music legend Gladys Knight says she will start cutting back on performing as she looks ahead to the next stage of her life and career.
Knight, 82, shared a statement late Thursday night on her social media.
“After much soul searching, I’ve decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward,” Knight wrote.
The music icon will focus less on performing and spending more time on projects with her husband and seeing more of their grandchildren.
Knight is looking forward to her “new era” and thanked the generations of fans who have supported her throughout her career.
“I am immensely grateful to all of you and send my eternal love back to you,” she wrote. “I hope to see your smiling faces out and about and on the road. God bless all of you and hope to see you soon.”
The statement comes amid concerns about Knight’s health during her most recent tour.
Videos circulating on social media show Knight letting her backing vocalists sing long stretches of her hits or standing with her back to the audience, leading to concern from fans about the icon’s health.
Knight’s son, Shanga Henderson, told People in Aug. 2025 that he was worried about her busy tour schedule and that it was “detrimental” to his mother’s health. Knight later shared a statement with People that her health was being “misrepresented” and her publicist told the publication Henderson’s allegations were “unfounded.”
Born and raised in Atlanta, Knight has recorded No. 1 hits across multiple decades with Gladys Knight and the Pips and her solo career. “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and the theme song to the James Bond film “License to Kill” are some of her biggest hits.
Knight has recorded over 38 albums and won seven Grammy Awards.
