Joanna Simon was an acclaimed opera singer and an Emmy-winning arts reporter for PBS’s “MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour.”
- Died: Wednesday, October 19, 2022. (Who else died on October 19?)
- Details of death: Died from thyroid cancer at the age of 85, one day before her sister, singer Lucy Simon, died from breast cancer.
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Opera Singer
Joanna Simon was a member of a well-known musical family. She was the daughter of Richard Simon, the founder of music publishing giant Simon & Schuster and the older sister of singers Carly Simon and Lucy Simon. While Carly became a famous singer and her sister Lucy would go on to be a Broadway composer, Joanna was an opera singer. A mezzo-soprano, she made her debut with the New York City Opera in 1962 in “The Marriage of Figaro.” She became a popular guest on TV talk shows and was a concert singer performing contemporary songs. After she retired from performing, she became an arts correspondent for the PBS news show the “MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour,” winning an Emmy Award for her reporting.
Notable Quote
“When Lucy was 16, I envied her hourglass figure.” “When Carly first became successful, I envied her first $200,000 check. But those feelings lasted for 20 minutes, and I didn’t dwell on them. I knew it was a given in the operatic world that very few achieved that kind of success. I never expected it, so I wasn’t disappointed.” – She told the Toronto Star in 1985
Tributes to Joanna Simon
Full Obituary: New York Times
