Carly Simon Loses Both Famous Sisters to Cancer — 1 Day Apart

Iconic singer Carly Simon is reeling from an unimaginable loss — both of her sisters died of cancer this week, just a day apart.

Joanna Simon, a renowned mezzo-soprano whose career in opera spanned from 1962-1986, died at 85 of thyroid cancer on Wednesday in a Manhattan hospital.

Lucy Simon, 82, died Thursday at her Piermont, New York, home after battling metastatic breast cancer.

In a statement to Deadline, Carly Simon said:

"I am filled with sorrow to speak about the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon. Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it’s impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives that they lived."

"We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were each others secret sharers," she went on. "The co-keepers of each other’s memories. I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon. They touched everyone they knew and those of us they’ve left behind will be lucky and honored to carry their memories forward."

The three sisters and a brother, Peter (who died in 2018), were the children of Richard Simon of Simon & Schuster. His heady position in the arts exposed them to a stream of music greats, giving them a leg up when all of the sisters went into the music field.

Lucy and Carly were the Simon Sisters, a folk duo that played Provincetown, Massachusetts and Greenwich village on their way to TV appearances on "Hootenanny" (1963) and the release of the Billboard Hot 100 hit "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" in 1964.

After touring together and putting out two albums, Lucy left the duo to focus on a family, though she later released two solo albums, while Carly went on to become one of the defining voices of the '70s, with hits like "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" (1971), "Anticipation" (1971), and "You're So Vain" (1972).

Lucy later served as the composer for the highly regarded Broadway musical "The Secret Garden" (1991), and for the short-lived "Doctor Zhivago" (2015).

Meanwhile, Joanna originated the role of Pantasilea in "Bomarzo" (1967), gaining international attention. She was also noted for non-operatic interpretations of classics like "Over the Rainbow," and sang backup on albums from both of her sisters.

When Joanna's singing career was over, she became a Peabody-winning "MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" correspondent, won an Emmy for a documentary on creativity and manic depression, and embarked upon a lucrative career as high-end realtor.

Joanna and Lucy are survived by Carly. Joanna was preceded in death by her husband, and by her longtime partner Walter Cronkite. She is survived by her stepson and her step-grandson, while Lucy Simon is survived by her husband, two children, and four grandchildren.