Pop icon Johnny Mathis is ready for his final curtain call.
The Grammy-winning singer, 89, will be retiring from the stage this summer due to his elderly age and declining memory, Mathis’ team revealed Wednesday in a statement on his official Facebook page. Although Mathis will continue to perform on his ongoing Voice of Romance Tour this spring, all “concerts from June 2025 onwards are now canceled.”
“As many of you may already be aware, Johnny Mathis is approaching his 90th birthday this year,” the statement reads. “So, it’s with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis’ age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring and live concerts.”
Mathis, who has a handful of shows left in Pennsylvania, Indiana and California, is scheduled to perform his final concert on May 18 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey. Refunds for the scrapped performances will be “made through the original point of purchase,” per Mathis’ team.
“Johnny Mathis and his entire staff send their heartfelt gratitude to all Mathis fans worldwide for your continued love and support of his music!”, the statement concluded. “It’s truly been ‘Wonderful, Wonderful.’”
In a statement to USA TODAY, Mathis’ representative Robert Scott said that while the singer’s memory issues don’t impact his “day-to-day life too much,” Mathis’ demanding travel schedule has “taken a toll on his body.”
“His voice is still wonderful, and it’s a shame that he won’t be able to share that with his audiences after May 18,” Scott said. “He knows deep down that it’s time to call it a day. He’s performed 69 consecutive years now (1956) without ever missing a beat.”
Born John Royce Mathis in September 1935, Mathis developed an early love of music when his family moved from his native Texas to San Francisco, where his father taught him his first song (the Walter Donaldson-penned “My Blue Heaven”) and later bought an upright piano for the home, according to a biography on Mathis’ official website.
After a childhood of singing in the church choir and taking vocal lessons, Mathis’ music career took off in college when he was discovered by club owner Helen Noga, who started managing him as a teen after seeing him perform with a classmate’s group, per Mathis’ website. With Noga’s help, the burgeoning singer landed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1955.
Mathis dropped his self-titled debut album in July 1956 and has released over 70 albums throughout his seven-decade career. Some of his biggest hits include “Wonderful Wonderful!”, “It’s Not for Me to Say,” “Chances Are,” “Gina” and “What Will Mary Say.”
In 2003, the Grammy Awards recognized Mathis’ musical stature with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. Three of the singer’s songs have also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Mathis was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame in 2014, joining other vocal titans such as Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Linda Ronstadt and Frank Sinatra.
A few years later, Mathis reflected on his career longevity in a 2019 interview with the American Press. “I don’t think about retiring. I think about how I can keep singing for the rest of my life. I just have to pace myself,” he said.
Mathis’ most recent album, “Christmas Time is Here,” was released in October 2023.
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