Gladys Knight has announced she’s scaling back her live performances “after much soul searching.”
The singer, 82, announced her career decision in a statement made via her Instagram account on Thursday, August 27.
“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,” she 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 continued, “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.”
Fans and followers threw their support behind Knight in the comments section, praising her for doing what’s best for her.
“Thank you for the memories and the melodies.🦋💜🦋You have blessed us so much. Relax and enjoy the fruit of your labor of 💜,” wrote one follower.
Another added, “You are world-class and one of the best altos I’ve ever heard. A true lover of the musical art! Thank you for all you’ve contributed to the world! ✊🏾🙏🏾”
The announcement comes after fans voiced concern after footage emerged of Knight appearing to be disoriented during some of her performances and walking off-stage without explanation.
In August 2025, Knight insisted she is “healthy and happy” as she continues her Queens Tour after her son, Shanga Hankerson, expressed to People that he was concerned for her well-being on the tour.
Speaking to the outlet, Hankerson, 49, described her involvement in the tour as “detrimental” to her health and claimed her husband William McDowell — who is also her manager — encouraged Knight to embark on the tour. (McDowell has denied insisting that Knight should work.)
“I’m sorry that my health and performances have been misrepresented,” Knight said in a statement shared with Us at the time. “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? 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 Queens Tour. See you soon.”
Hankerson told The Shade Room the same month that he was concerned about Knight’s memory, citing a time Knight allegedly wandered off from her hotel room before turning up “across town.”
“I don’t want my mom out on tour on a tour bus, wondering where she’s at,” Hankerson said in the August 13 story. “I don’t want that for her. That’s my mom, I truly love her and don’t care about her ever working a second longer while she’s alive. The direction that she’s going in is pushing her to her departure, and I don’t want to see that.”
