Johnny Cash Says He Has Parkinson’s

Singer Johnny Cash announced Monday that he has Parkinson’s disease and is canceling a book tour.

“He’s been sick for a while, but it’s not been to the point where he’s needed medication. It’s now gotten to that point,” said Heidi Robinson, a spokeswoman for his recording company, American Recordings.

Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, were in New York on Monday for a television appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to promote his new book, “Cash: The Autobiography.”

After the show, the 65-year-old singer told his publisher that he had to cancel the rest of the promotion tour. Cash disclosed his ailment in a press release in which his manager, Lou Robin, said Cash expects to resume a normal schedule when the Parkinson’s is stabilized.

Parkinson’s affects some 500,000 to 1 million Americans, causing such difficulties as slowed movement, rigidity and tremors. It is caused by lack of a chemical messenger called dopamine in part of the brain.