Marcia Ball, the pianist and singer who grew up along the Louisiana/Texas border, has enjoyed a longstanding love affair with New Orleans music and musicians, and is a favorite at local festivals.

But Ball, 76, announced Tuesday that her decades-long performing career has come to an end following her diagnosis with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

She has canceled all scheduled performances, including her back-to-back voyages aboard the Sandy Beaches Cruise and the New Orleans-themed Big Easy Cruise, both of which sail out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in January.

A statement released by Ball read in part, “As many of you may know or have heard, over recent months, I have been struggling with voice issues and have not been able to perform as I have always done. This has been

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