Johnny Mathis: Legendary singer, 89, announces retirement from touring as he suffers from "memory issues"

Suffering from “memory issues”, Mathis has decided to step away from the road as he nears his 90th birthday. Throughout his remarkable career, he became the third best-selling artist of the 20th century, alongside icons like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

At the height of his fame, he sold 360m records worldwide, earning a reported net worth of $400m. His hit songs include Chances Are, All The Time, The Twelfth of Never, When Sunny Gets Blue, and When I Am With You.

Posting on Facebook, a spokesperson for Mathis said: “While there are still some exciting concerts coming up, regrettably all Johnny Mathis concerts from June 2025 onwards are now cancelled. Please read the notice below, and contact individual venues directly with all ticket questions. Refunds will be made through the original point of purchase.

"Thank you so very much on Johnny's behalf for your kind messages. Johnny is just retiring from touring and concerts, so the good news is there is potentially new music in the works. Check back for news on this.

"The final concerts are just in the US, and these dates can be found on the official Johnny Mathis website below. Thank you on Johnny's behalf for all your support of his music.”

Mathis’ music spans multiple genres, including pop, R&B, Latin American, country, blues, and soft rock. Over his career, he has recorded 73 studio albums and achieved the rare feat of having five albums on the Billboard charts at the same time - an accomplishment shared only by Prince, Sinatra, and Barry Manilow.

It is unknown whether he will make any new music, but it isn’t out of the realms of possibility. After all, Willie Nelson is now 91 years old and has a new album, Oh What A Beautiful World, releasing next month.

In a 2018 interview, Mathis reflected on how his health would determine the length of his career. He said: “It revolves around whether or not you’re physically able and in good health.

“That’s the most important thing because you won’t feel like doing anything if you’re not healthy. Being a vocalist, you have another thing to worry about.

“The vocal cords are flesh and blood so anything can happen to them - you take care of the thing that got you to the dance.”