Who is neil diamond

In the summer of , on the eve of three Las Vegas shows, Diamond's house in Bel Air was raided by the police because they received an anonymous tip that there were drugs and weapons stored there. The police found less than an ounce of marijuana. To have the arrest expunged from his recored, Diamond agreed to a six-month drug aversion program. He had a cancer scare in , when a tumor was found on his spine and had to be surgically removed, which confined him to a wheelchair for three months.

During his recuperation he was given the script for the lead role in a planned remake of the early sound film The Jazz Singer Despite the almost universally negative reviews of the film, it grossed three times its budget when released late in In Diamond's hit single, "America", which was part of the film's soundtrack, was used on news broadcasts to underscore the return of the American hostages from Iran.

Aware of his lack of acting talent, Diamond never acted in movie roles again, aside from making appearances as himself. A movie fan, he collaborated on writing the scores of many different soundtracks, which can be heard in such films as Cactus Flower , Pulp Fiction , Beautiful Girls , Donnie Brasco , Bringing Out the Dead and many more.

He continues to occasionally perform in concerts and write a vast catalog of music which is recored by both him and other artists. Sign In. Edit Neil Diamond. Showing all 40 items. Seriously considered "Eyce Charry" and "Noah Kaminsky" for his professional name. Screen-tested for the lead in the movie Lenny , based on the life of famous comedian Lenny Bruce , which he turned down.

When he and Barbra Streisand had a smash hit with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" , it was not the first time that the Brooklyn-born superstars had sung together.

Was a pre-med student, interested in Biology, at New York University, but left with less than a year left, due to his dislike of organic chemistry. He was at New York University on a fencing scholarship. His soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull grossed more than the movie itself.

Penned hits for other pop groups before becoming successful on his own, including The Monkees ' "I'm a Believer". Father-in-law of actress Sheryl Lee. This holds the record as the most expensive divorce in history. Diamond eventually relented after his agent assured him that Tarantino was an up and coming director. Father of musician-turned-photographer Jesse Diamond. Ran away from his home in Brooklyn at age 13 and went to the Midwest where he formed a musical group called The Roadrunners.

That same year, Diamond's "Holly Holy" reached the No. In , Neil Diamond scored his first solo No. Also in , Diamond released the hugely popular Hot August Night , which was recorded at a series of concerts he performed at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. He also composed the soundtrack for the film Jonathan Livingstone Seagull , based on the Richard Bach book. While the movie was a flop at the box office, the soundtrack earned Diamond a Grammy Award.

In , he tried for success on the big screen with his remake of The Jazz Singer. Critics were less than kind regarding his efforts, but the film's soundtrack featured such hits as "Love on the Rocks" and "America. Other artists have also made the charts with their own renditions of Diamond's songs. In , Diamond released the album Tennessee Moon , which marked his first foray into country music. He later teamed up with Rick Rubin for 12 Songs , which was heralded as a comeback for Diamond.

While Diamond had not been on the charts in a while, he remained a very popular live act. He even appeared on American Idol to help promote the release. Diamond's musical contributions were honored in , when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He received the Kennedy Center Honor that same year. Diamond had previously been admitted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the s. They married in Los Angeles on April 20, Diamond had been married twice before and has four children from those marriages. Neil soon began skipping school classes, taking the train Tin Pan Alley, where he tried to get some of his songs heard by local music publishers. In , he married his high-school girlfriend, Jaye Posner, who was a schoolteacher. They had two daughters: Marjorie and Elyn.

However, they separated in In , Neil married production assistant Marcia Murphey. They had two sons: Jesse and Micah. Their marriage lasted 25 years, ending in the mids. The couple married in Los Angeles in In January , Neil Diamond announced that he would immediately retire from live touring , due to having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. However, he later confirmed that he was not retiring from music altogether, and would "continue his writing, recording and development of new projects.

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