Art Garfunkel, the iconic voice in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, has revealed for the first time his battle with psoriasis.

After taking a break from touring and being in the public eye, 83-year-old singer, actor and poet spoke about his health, the love of his family and his recent work with his son, Art Garfunkel Jr.

With the support of his sons and his wife, Kim opened up to PEOPLEand said, “I’m ready to be seen again. Psoriasis is something I lived with quiet for many years. It was part of my life, even in my most public moments, including on trips, but I rarely talked if ever, about it.”

He explained, “I found ways to cover it on stage, photos and in my daily life. It’s not something people would have known by looking at me, but it was always there under the surface. I’m just glad it never got into the music. I’m glad for that change in my life.”

The Bright eyes Crooner continued to share the other than be difficult, his “treatment journey was long,” and he tried several approaches “over decades”, including “various creams, remedies, even treatments involving UV light and tar.”

“I remember I was completely covered in tar; which root. Some gave me temporary relief, but nothing really lasted – it was a frustrating cycle. The itch always came back, and so did the scales. It was so uncomfortable,” said Kim.

Despite having undergone difficulty, Carnal knowledge Star admitted that he was “lucky to have such a great dermatologist” who eventually told him about Ilumya, a medicine he had “not tried”, but after the first few doses his “skin began to clean up, and for the first time in a long time I did not feel the need to hide. Life began to change for me.”

In the future, the Grammy winner talked about having to cancel tour dates because of his health, that quipping, “Execution is such a big part of who I am, so it was difficult to go back because of my psoriasis.”

“I could be in front of thousands of people, but still have to cover. It can affect your confidence, your comfort in your own skin, and it isolates you in ways that people don’t always see,” he noted.

Before the ending it is important to mention that Kim’s recent work was a collaboration with his 34-year-old son, Singer Art, to the album Father and son, which was released in November 2024.