Janis Ian Says She May Never 'Sound Like Myself Again' amid Laryngitis Diagnosis

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Janis Ian has canceled all upcoming performances amid a devastating diagnosis.

The Grammy Award winner, 71, revealed in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday that she has a "complicated" form of laryngitis, announcing that due to vocal fold scarring, she may never "sound like myself again."

"It is with unfathomable sadness that I announce the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates," Ian started in the caption.

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She previously postponed spring dates for the farewell tour after she contracted laryngitis earlier this year, according to Pitchfork.

"Unfortunately, the laryngitis that forced the postponement of some spring dates has turned out to be more complicated than a simple, treatable laryngitis," she wrote Thursday. "There is vocal fold scarring; since it's not due to polyps or singing incorrectly, the doctors can only speculate as to why, but treatments are very limited. And it would be many months before we'd know the outcome of any treatment.

"It is most unlikely that I'll ever sound like myself again. I consider myself lucky that this is not life-threatening, though the loss in my own small world is staggering. Please contact the venues for refunds, and thank you all for your support and love," Ian concluded.

Ian, who debuted in 1965 and released her 24th and final studio album The Light at the End of the Line earlier this year, previously discussed her intentions to retire during an interview with American Songwriter earlier this year.

"I'm 71 this year, and there are a multitude of reasons to stop," she explained. "I would like to spend time writing. And I would like to spend time with my family. I'd like to do a bunch of other things, so having a full tilt career doesn't allow for any of that right now. I've been doing it for so long now."

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The "At Seventeen" artist shares a stepdaughter and two grandchildren with wife Patricia Snyder, with whom she's been since 1989. They married in 2003 after she came out as a lesbian with her 1993 album Breaking Silence.