Motown legend Gladys Knight has announced she will ease into fewer performances to focus on a new era with her family following growing fan concern over her behavior on stage.
The 82-year-old singing icon, known to fans as the Empress of Soul, has maintained a busy tour schedule this year, performing both solo dates and co-headlining shows alongside Smokey Robinson.
However, recent concert footage posted online showed Knight appearing confused on stage, staring off to the side and relying on her backup vocalists to carry the performance.
During a show at the Hollywood Bowl on July 25, Knight turned her back on the crowd and began walking off stage, shaking off a backup singer's attempt to stop her.
A source told TMZ that some staff working on her tour worry she is showing symptoms of dementia, though her husband and manager, William McDowell, told the outlet she has not yet been evaluated by a doctor.
Amid the ongoing concern, Knight released a statement to TMZ on Thursday confirming her decision to scale back her concert schedule going forward.
"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 said in the statement.
"I’ll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and am looking forward to this new era," she stated.
Thanking her audience, she added: "I'd like to take a moment, in advance, to thank all my fans over this last three quarters of a century for making a little girl's dream come true and supporting her every step of the way."
"I am immensely grateful to all of you and send my eternal love back to you. 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," she concluded.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Knight's representatives for comment.
Touring Concerns and Upcoming Schedule
The announcement follows comments from McDowell, Knight's fourth husband who is reportedly 33 years younger than her, addressing concerns from fans that she was being forced to take the stage.
McDowell told TMZ that Knight still wants to perform but experiences good and bad days. "No one is ever gonna make me say, 'My wife is well,' but all she wants to do is sing," he told the outlet.
McDowell clarified that Knight has not been diagnosed with dementia, but stated that they will be going to the doctor in the future to evaluate whether she has the condition.
Knight currently has tour dates scheduled through mid-November. However, McDowell said he will be closely watching her September 5 show to determine whether he should cancel her remaining dates.
People involved with Knight's tour have reportedly called the situation tragic while speaking with TMZ.
A source told the outlet that people spoke with Knight's team before her Hollywood Bowl show and warned that it was not suitable for her to be on stage, adding that it is shameful the star is being compelled to perform.
At a concert in Detroit, several audience members left early after Knight appeared exhausted and took a number of breaks off-stage, according to TMZ.
Billboard reviewed her Hollywood Bowl show, writing: "She is truly a one-of-a-kind singer, capable of both thrilling firepower and conversational ease, often in the same song. But she barely got through this show, and only by leaning heavily on her backup singers. Artists need to know when it’s time to bow out gracefully."
McDowell also revealed that he is building a facility near their North Carolina home where his wife can continue performing without having to travel.
Past Disputes Over Elder Abuse Allegations
The recent concerns come after Knight set the record straight last year following public accusations from her son, Shanga Hankerson, who publicly accused her husband of elder abuse.
Hankerson filed a complaint with North Carolina's Department of Human Services, claiming McDowell was taking advantage of his mother.
The year prior, Hankerson told The Shade Room that his mother's demanding tour schedule was detrimental to her health. "I don’t want my mom out on tour on a tour bus wondering where she’s at," Hankerson said.
In an interview with People, Hankerson criticized McDowell's management: "I did my best to give [McDowell] the space to play the role of husband and do what was in my mom’s best interest, and he has not done that."
"Why is she working? Why is she in this situation where she’s being made to believe that she has to work like this? That’s really my issue with it," Hankerson added.
Representatives for Knight told People at the time that her team was greatly saddened by Shanga’s unfounded allegations and noted that he had had no substantial contact with her.
In response, Hankerson called that statement inaccurate and claimed he was purposefully kept in a position of having minimal access to his mother.
Knight denied her son's allegations during an interview with The Post. "I want my fans and those concerned to rest assured I am doing very well for someone who has been on stage for three quarters of a century, hard to believe, right?" she told the outlet.
"I’m healthy and happy and visiting friends and family these last few months. I’m excited to get back on the road with my sisters and on stage with The Queens Tour. See you soon," she added, noting that her health and performances have been misrepresented.
Empress of Soul
Knight and McDowell have been married for 24 years.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner is celebrated for classic hits including Midnight Train to Georgia, Help Me Make It Through the Night, The Way We Were, You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me, and the 1989 James Bond theme Licence to Kill.
