Carly Simon mourns the loss of sisters Joanna and Lucy, who died of cancer a day apart

Carly Simon is mourning the loss of her two sisters, Joanna and Lucy Simon, who both died from cancer just one day apart from each other this week.

Former opera singer Joanna died from thyroid cancer on Wednesday at the age of 85, while Broadway composter Lucy died of breast cancer the following day at 82. Carly said the losses will be "long and haunting" in a statement issued to EW.

"I am filled with sorrow to speak about the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon," Carly said. "Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it's impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives that they lived."

"We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were each others secret shares," the singer continued. "The co-keepers of each other's memories. I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon."

Joanna and Lucy "touched everyone they knew and those of us they've left behind will be lucky and honored to carry their memories forward," Carly concluded.

Born to publisher and Simon & Schuster co-founder Richard Simon and wife Andrea, all three Simon sisters (also siblings to younger brother Peter, who died in 2018 at 71) would find success in music. Before their own separate ventures, Carly and Lucy first entered show biz in the 1960s and formed the folk duo The Simon Sisters, releasing three albums and compilation recordings, including Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.

Lucy, who spent some time away to attend nursing school and begin a family, returned to music in the '70s and produced two Grammy-winning children's albums, In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record and In Harmony 2, with husband David Levine. She also received success on Broadway, where she composed music for the Tony-nominated The Secret Garden and Doctor Zhivago.

Joanna also made a name for herself beginning in the '60s, debuting on Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in New York before becoming a fixture on the opera stage. Throughout her career, the acclaimed mezzo-soprano performed with numerous orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. Following her retirement, Joanna became an Emmy-winning arts correspondent for PBS's MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour.

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