Buffy Sainte-Marie has announced that she鈥檚 retiring from live performances.

A statement announcing her decision cited factors including travel-induced health concerns and performance-inhibiting physical challenges.

鈥淚 have made the difficult decision to pull out of all scheduled performances in the foreseeable future,鈥� Sainte-Marie said in the statement. 鈥淎rthritic hands and a recent shoulder injury have made it no longer possible to perform to my standards.

鈥淪incere regrets to all my fans and family, my band and the support teams that make it all possible.鈥�

The legendary singer-songwriter, who鈥檚 in her early 80s, suggested in September that performances in Ottawa and Vancouver were part of what she said was 鈥減robably going to be her last tour.鈥�

Sainte-Marie, in an interview with The Canadian Press at the time, said she was cutting back on flying, meaning fewer appearances, following a rough summer that included a bout with COVID-19 and being stranded at least twice as airlines experienced countless delays and cancellations.

鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that I鈥檓 never going to perform again,鈥� she had said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like: 鈥楽he鈥檚 going to retire.鈥� I鈥檓 not in the business world. I鈥檝e retired many times without ever calling it retirement.

鈥淚鈥檓 just going to hang it up.鈥�

An upcoming music festival in British Columbia has already announced plans to replace her.

The City of Burnaby said in a statement that American indie-folk band Fleet Foxes will take Sainte-Marie鈥檚 spot in the Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival, which takes place Aug. 12.

The Cree artist and activist has roots in the Qu鈥橝ppelle Valley in Saskatchewan and was adopted by an American family from Massachusetts.

In 1982, Sainte-Marie became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar as co-writer of 鈥淯p Where We Belong鈥� for the movie 鈥淎n Officer and a Gentleman.鈥�

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