Pop queen Carly Simon, whose hit "You're So Vain" was No. 1 on the charts in 1973, still struggles when she talks about the panic attacks that nearly crippled her successful singing career.
"I think it's the whole experience of being in front of people, exposing yourself and your talent is so unnatural," the still-striking singer said in an interview last week.
Simon was so paralyzed during a 1981 concert in Pittsburgh that audience members swarmed the stage to help her, rubbing the singer's arms and legs. She made it through that show, but during the second one, she collapsed in front of 10,000 fans.
Now, at 62, Simon has just released her first album of original songs in eight years, "This Kind of Love," and has launched a string of appearances that will test her ability to deal with the anxiety disorder that has haunted her for decades.
She began today with a live performance on ABC's "Good Morning America," followed by more performances on TV's "The Rachel Ray Show" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," leading up to the real test: a live concert in Miami on May 16. .....continued
