Legendary singer, 89, opens up about heartbreaking well being decline in first sighting since saying his retirement
Chances Are legendary singer Johnny Mathis won’t be performing past May after the heartbreaking news last week that his seven decades of touring would be coming to an end because of his declining health.
Only days after his stunning retirement announcement, DailyMail.com’s cameras caught up with the velvet-voiced crooner in Los Angeles. But in spite of the curtain closing on his illustrious career that earned him six platinum albums, he was all smiles.
‘I hope to be younger, not older’ said the singer who turns 90 in September as he headed for a meeting this past Friday.
Mathis, renowned for making his loyal fanbase swoon from his romantic ballads, announced on Wednesday that he would be retiring due to accelerating ‘age and memory issues’.
Despite his escalating health concerns and choice to retreat from the spotlight, his trademark fashion-forward style remains as sharp as ever
Mathis looked hip on his recent outing in a long-sleeve blue polo shirt with a white collar, green khaki pants, a blue baseball cap and black Puma sneakers.
Johnny Mathis was spotted for the first time on Friday since announcing his final performance would be in May due to his ‘accelerated’ decline in health and ongoing memory issues
The crooner, 89, was headed to a meeting in Los Angeles and said he ‘hope to be younger, not older’ when asked by DailyMail.com how he felt about his upcoming 90th birthday
Mathis looked hip in a long-sleeve blue polo shirt with a white collar, green khaki pants, a blue baseball cap and black Puma sneakers
The jazz singer also indulged the secrets of his youthful appearance, saying that exercise was the key to staying young.
On the topic of his newly-announced retirement, Mathis was surprisingly jovial, saying: ‘Oh, you never really retire,’ he said as a fan in the parking lot shouted ‘my hero’ at him.
‘You just stop singing,’ he said with a grin on his face – as his team clarified on Wednesday that he had new music in the works even though he wouldn’t perform after his May 18th sold out concert in Englewood, New Jersey.
‘While there are still some exciting concerts coming up, regrettably all Johnny Mathis concerts from June 2025 onwards are now cancelled,’ his team write on Facebook.
‘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, Mathis Fans.’
Rather than facing outrage over refunded tickets from his canceled concerts, Mathis was met with an outpouring of love and support from fans wishing him well in the comments section.
His team announced on Wednesday that he would be retiring due to ongoing health issues and that concerts scheduled after June 2025 would be cancelled
Mathis’ team clarified in a Facebook post on Thursday that he would cease touring but had new tracks in the works
They also thanked Mathis’ fan base for the ‘kind messages & rock memories’
Responding to the support, they added: ‘Wow. Thank you so very much on Johnny’s behalf for your kind messages! To answer a couple repeat questions…
‘Its a lovely idea, but unfortunately filming or streaming the final concerts is not going to be possible. We’re sorry for any disappointment.
‘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 U.S., 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 sold 360 million records worldwide throughout his enduring career since the 1950s, and was renowned for his romantic ballads.
However, not all of his records have aged well. His Christmas song When A Child Is Born, released in 1976, faced censorship by radio stations in December 2022 . The line ‘black, white, yellow, no one know’ was deemed racist, with stations like Heart FM and Magic Radio opting to cut the word ‘yellow’ from the song.
Mathis sold 360 million records worldwide throughout his illustrious career since the 1950s and was known for his romance-style ballads
He was born in Gilmer, Texas, in 1935 and was the fourth born out of seven. His father Clem worked as a singer and pianist in the vaudeville world
Mathis was discovered by the owner of Black Hawk Club in San Francisco while performing there with his friend’s jazz sextet
Born in Gilmer, Texas, in 1935, Mathis was the fourth born of seven children. His parents, both domestic cooks, instilled a love of music in him – his father, Clem, was a singer and pianist in the vaudeville world.
When he realized Mathis’ talents at a young age and encouraged him to pursue music by buying him a piano and linking him with voice teacher Connie Cox in exchange for work around her house in the late 1940s.
After six years under Cox’s tutelage, Mathis would go on to have a successful career as a romantic singer but also dabbled in other genres such as pop, Latin American, soul, R&B, Tin Pan Alley, soft rock, country, blues, show tunes and even disco in the 1970s.
Mathis was discovered at the Black Hawk Club in San Francisco while performing with his friend’s jazz sextet. The club’s owner flagged one of the heads at Columbia Records who signed him.
Since the 1950s, Mathis released 73 studio albums, 10 of which achieved sales of 500,000 units to earn him Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Six of his albums also went Gold while six went Platinum when they hit one million sales.
The singer was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings, which included the songs Chances Are in 1998, Misty in 2002 and It’s Not For Me To Say in 2008
Mathis joined the high achievement only reached by Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow and Prince when five of his albums ranked on the Billboard charts simultaneously.
For his high-standing career, Mathis was honored by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The singer was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings, which included the songs Chances Are in 1998, Misty in 2002 and It’s Not For Me To Say in 2008.
In 1982, Mathis received death threats when he disclosed to US Magazine that he was gay saying ‘Homosexuality is a way of life that I’ve grown accustomed to.’
After that, it wouldn’t be until 2017 when he would come out as openly gay to CBS News Sunday Morning and discuss the backlash he experienced.
