Gladys Knight makes major announcement about career ‘after much soul searching’ amid health concerns

Leigh BlickleyFri, August 28, 2026 at 3:30 PM UTC

0

Gladys Knight performing in 2025Credit: Scott Legato/WireImageKey Points -

Gladys Knight is stepping away from performing to focus on her personal life.

The Empress of Soul stated she is “transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward.”

Knight’s health has come into question over the years due to concerns from her son.

Gladys Knight is taking a step away from performing as she focuses on “a new era.”

The Empress of Soul, 82, announced in a statement on Instagram Thursday that she will be “easing into fewer performances” in an effort to be more present in her personal life.

“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,” the “Midnight Train to Georgia” singer wrote. “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 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.”

Entertainment Weekly reached out Knight’s representative, Laura Herlovich, who said she does not have any further information to share at this time.

Knight’s announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about her health, as social media videos circulating online have shown the singer seemingly struggling on stage during tour performances. After sharing her statement on Thursday, Knight’s husband and manager, William McDowell, told TMZ that she has good and bad days, and that he is aware of her declining health. “No one is ever gonna make me say, ‘My wife is well,’ but all she wants to do is sing,” he told the outlet Thursday.

Gladys Knight and the Pips perform on stage in 1977Credit: David Redfern/Redferns

Knight is set to tour through mid-November, but McDowell reportedly told TMZ that if her Sept. 5 show in Davie, Fla., doesn’t go well, he’ll call off her remaining dates. He also noted that touring is a lot for his wife of 25 years, and that he’s hoping to build a facility close to their North Carolina home so she can continue doing shows without being on the road.

He also claimed that, although she has not been diagnosed with dementia, they’ll be seeing a doctor in the near future to evaluate if she has the condition, which affects memory, thinking, and social abilities, according to the Mayo Clinic.

EW has reached out to McDowell for further comment.

Last year, Knight spoke out about allegations of elder abuse after her son, Shanga Hankerson, publicly accused McDowell of mental and financial abuse. He lodged a complaint with authorities in North Carolina over her care and addressed the situation with PEOPLE.

Advertisement

He said her busy touring schedule was “detrimental” to her health, which came largely at the push from McDowell. He also doubled down on the claims she’s struggling with memory loss.

“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 said, alleging McDowell has been “mental[ly] and financial[ly]” abusive to his mother.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

Knight, for her part, denied the allegations in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.

“I’m sorry that my health and performances have been misrepresented. 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 shared. “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 QueensTour. See you soon.”

Her rep also added that Knight and her team were “greatly saddened by Shanga’s unfounded allegations,” and claimed he “has had no substantial contact with her.”

Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1974Credit: Getty

Hankerson called the statement “inaccurate,” and alleged to PEOPLE that he has been “purposefully kept in a position of having minimal access” to his mother, maintaining that her “deterioration has occurred over a period of years, and is very evident.”

Knight shares Shanga with music executive Barry Hankerson. She also shared late son James “Jimmy” Newman III and daughter Kenya with first husband James Newman. She has 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren in her blended family with McDowell.

EW has reached out to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for an update on Shanga’s 2025 complaint.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”