Singer Gladys Knight to Step Back from Performing After Disturbing Concert Video

Aug. 28 (UPI) — Grammy-winning singer Gladys Knight plans to step back from performing. The “Empress of Soul,” 82, announced in a post Thursday that she “will be easing into fewer performances” in order to focus on other projects and spend time with family. “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,” Knight 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 said. The news follows concerns about Knight’s health and well-being after recent performances, including a July 25 concert at the Hollywood Bowl where she appeared to stop singing and look disoriented. Her husband and manager, William McDowell, told TMZ this week, “No one is ever gonna make me say, ‘My wife is well,’ but all she wants to do is sing.” Knight’s son Shanga Hankerson previously told People in 2025 that he considered the singer’s touring schedule “detrimental” to her health and largely at McDowell’s urging, which Knight refuted at the time. In her post Thursday, Knight thanked her fans for supporting her “every step of the way.” “I am immensely grateful to all of you and send my eternal love back to you,” she said. “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.”