Paul Simon Announces Farewell Tour

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — In a letter posted to Twitter Monday, Paul Simon announced his "Homeward Bound" tour would be his last.

"I've often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I'd consider bringing my performing career to a natural end," Simon's letter begins. "Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief."

Simon's 50-year-career began with Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits, including "Bridge over Troubled Water," "The Sound of Silence," and "Mrs. Robinson." He has won 16 Grammys for his work over the years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Simon's decision to retire was partly due to the loss of lead guitarist Vincent N'guini in December, but also because of the necessity of leaving family behind for tour dates. But even retirement won't keep him from permanently putting down the guitar.

"After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically," Simon said in his letter.

It's been a bad year so far for some of rock's biggest legends. In January, Neil Diamond announced he would retire from concert touring because of a Parkinson's disease diagnosis and canceled his tour dates in Australia and New Zealand. Earlier, Eric Clapton revealed he was going deaf and is suffering from tinnitus, but said he plans to continue performing.