After more than seven decades in the spotlight, Gladys Knight is preparing to slow down and embrace a new chapter. The seven-time Grammy Award winner announced that she will be easing into fewer performances while shifting her focus toward personal projects, family and life away from the demands of touring. Knight, whose legendary career includes classics such as “Midnight Train to Georgia,” shared the news with fans as she looks toward what she describes as a new era.
via People:
The “Midnight Train to Georgia” singer, 82, announced in an Instagram post on Thursday, Aug. 27 that she will take a break from performing after more than 75 years.
“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,” her statement began. “I’ll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and am looking forward to this new era.”
Knight married her fourth husband, William McDowell, in 2001. Knight is a mother to three children from her past marriages: sons James “Jimmy” Gaston Newman III and Shanga Ali Hankerson, and daughter Kenya Maria Newman. (James died from heart failure in 1999, per the Las Vegas Sun.) Together, they have 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren from previous relationships, as of 2024, per Parade.
