• Faith: Catholic
• Career: Musician
• Birthday:  June 25, 1943

Carly Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician and author whose confessional songwriting and distinctive contralto voice made her one of the defining artists of the 1970s singer-songwriter era. Best known for songs including “You’re So Vain,” “Anticipation,” “Nobody Does It Better” and “Coming Around Again,” Simon has won Grammy, Academy and Golden Globe awards during a career spanning more than five decades. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Carly Elisabeth Simon was born June 25, 1943, in New York City and grew up in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. Her father, Richard L. Simon, was a classical pianist and co-founder of the publishing company Simon & Schuster. Her mother, Andrea Heinemann Simon, was a singer and civil rights activist. Simon grew up in a highly musical household alongside older sisters Joanna and Lucy and younger brother Peter.

Simon struggled with a severe stutter beginning in childhood. Because she found singing easier than speaking, music became an important means of expression. She has also spoken about having dyslexia and the challenges it created during her school years. She attended Riverdale Country School and later Sarah Lawrence College but left before graduating to pursue music.

Simon began performing professionally with her sister Lucy as the folk duo the Simon Sisters. They appeared on television and released several albums during the 1960s before Lucy left the act to start a family. Carly then pursued a solo career.

Her self-titled debut album was released in 1971 and included “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” The success helped Simon win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her commercial breakthrough accelerated with Anticipation and then No Secrets, the 1972 album featuring “You’re So Vain.” The song reached No. 1 in the United States and became her signature recording.

Simon continued producing hits throughout the decade, including “Mockingbird,” recorded with then-husband James Taylor, and “Nobody Does It Better,” the theme from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. Her career enjoyed another major resurgence in the 1980s with “Coming Around Again” and “Let the River Run,” written for the 1988 film Working Girl. “Let the River Run” earned Simon an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy, making her the first performer to win all three honors for a song composed and performed entirely by a single artist.

In addition to recording music, Simon has written children’s books and memoirs. Her books include Boys in the Trees: A Memoir and Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie.

Simon married singer-songwriter James Taylor in 1972, and the pair became one of the most prominent musical couples of the era. They had two children, Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor, both of whom pursued careers in music. Simon and Taylor divorced in 1983.

She later married writer and businessman James Hart in 1987. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2007. Simon has lived for many years on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Simon was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1990s and underwent treatment. She has also endured considerable family loss. All three of her siblings — Joanna, Lucy and Peter — died of cancer.

In July 2026, Simon publicly revealed that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and had also been treated for basal cell carcinoma. She explained that she had largely stepped back from public life while adjusting to declining mobility and learning how to live with the unpredictable neurological condition. Simon said her health challenges had affected her ability to move around comfortably and contributed to her reduced public appearances.

Despite those health challenges, Simon continued making music and remained active creatively, underscoring that her illnesses had changed aspects of her daily life without ending her artistic work.

Carly Simon's Religious Beliefs

Simon was raised as a nominal Roman Catholic, reflecting the religious background of her mother. Her family had a mixed religious heritage: her father, Richard Simon, came from a German-Jewish family, while her mother, Andrea, came from a Catholic background. Carly and her siblings were brought up in their mother’s Catholic faith.