How Parkinson's left Linda Ronstadt unable to sing

Rock and pop superstar of the 70s Linda Ronstadt says Parkinson's disease has robbed her of her ability to sing. Although Parkinson's is better known for causing tremors and trouble with movement, the disease frequently affects a person's voice as well, doctors say.

The 67-year-old singer, who is known for such hits as "You're No Good," "Blue Bayou" and "Don't Know Much," told AARP The Magazine last Friday that she hadn't suspected she had the neurological disease for as many as eight years despite having a variety of symptoms, which she mistakenly attributed to other causes.

Then she lost her ability to sing.

"And I couldn't figure out why," she told AARP. "I knew it was mechanical. I knew it had to do with the muscles, but I thought it might have also had something to do with the tick disease that I had. And it didn't occur to me to go to a neurologist... Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that's why my hands were trembling."

Up to 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, according to the National Parkinson's Foundation, on top of the one million who currently have the condition.

Parkinson's disease as a degenerative neurological condition caused by the loss of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is essential for motor control and other important brain functions.

The average age of diagnosis is around 60, and the disease worsens over time to the point where it can cause significant disability. Parkinson's-related complications make up the fourteenth leading cause of death in the United States.

Common symptoms -- which typically begin between ages 50 and 60 -- include tremors or shaking, stiff muscles, slow movements, difficulty walking, and loss of control of facial movements and throat muscles, WebMD reports.

Ronstadt told AARP that no one can sing with Parkinson's, "no matter how hard you try."

Parkinson's disease does indeed commonly affect a person's voice, explained Dr. Andrew Feigin, a professor of neurology and physician at the Movement Disorders Center at North Shore-LIJ's Cushing Neuroscience Institute in Manhasset, N.Y., in an interview with CBSNews.com.

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How Parkinson's left Linda Ronstadt unable to sing