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Neil Diamond is an iconic American singer-songwriter and musician, renowned for his rich baritone voice, anthemic melodies, and decades-spanning career filled with chart-topping hits. Born in Brooklyn, Diamond initially found success as a songwriter in the Brill Building era before launching his own stellar performing career. His journey spans folk-rock beginnings, massive pop stardom in the 1970s with arena-filling anthems, successful film soundtracks, and a late-career artistic renaissance. Despite retiring from touring due to Parkinson's disease, his music remains globally beloved.

• Diamond's early career was marked by a contentious legal battle with his first label, Bang Records, where he felt exploited; he eventually won the rights to his early recordings after a prolonged struggle.
• His surprise diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in 2018 led to the abrupt cancellation of his 50th Anniversary Tour, a heartbreaking end to his live performing career.
• Despite his massive success, Diamond has spoken about periods of deep insecurity and stage fright, famously feeling like an outsider early on, which inspired his hit "Solitary Man".
• The song "Sweet Caroline" became an unexpected, massive phenomenon at Boston Red Sox baseball games starting in the late 1990s, evolving into a global singalong tradition at sporting events, much to Diamond's delight and surprise.