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Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Neil Diamond is one of pop music's most enduring and successful singer-songwriters. As a successful pop music performer, Diamond scored a number of hits worldwide in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

According to David Wild, common themes in Diamond's songs are: "A deep sense of isolation and an equal desire for connection. A yearning for home - and at the same time, the allure of greater freedom. The good, the bad and the ugly about a crazy little thing called love." Critic William Ruhlmann wrote of Diamond, "As of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart." As of May 2005 Diamond had sold 160 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.
Personal life
Diamond married school teacher Jaye Posner in 1963. They divorced in 1969. They had two children, Marjorie and Elyn. In 1969, Diamond married Marcia Murphey; they also had two children, both sons; the first was Jesse, and the second was Micah. Diamond's second marriage ended in 1995. He was in a 12 year relationship with Australian native Rachel Farley from 1996 to 2008, having met her while she was handling his Marketing for the Promoter during his 1996 Australian tour. In 1979 Diamond had a tumor surgically removed from his spine and was wheelchair-bound for three months. Through his Diamond Music Company, Diamond now belongs to that small group of performers whose name is listed as the copyright owner on their recordings. Others in this group include David Bowie, Mötley Crüe, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson (under his MJJ Productions banner), Pink Floyd (albums from 1975's Wish You Were Here onward copyrighted to Pink Floyd Music Limited and/or Pink Floyd (1987) Ltd.), Bruce Springsteen, Queen (under the copyright of Queen Productions Ltd and/or the alias Raincloud Productions Ltd), Genesis (though under the members' individual names and/or the pseudonym Gelring Limited), Johnny Rivers and Van Morrison (Exile Prod. Ltd.; he also produces his own albums), and Metallica (under the copyright of E/M Ventures). On most albums the recording company is listed as the owner of the recording. Before this, his songs were published under copyright to companies with the names of Prophet Music, Tallyrand Music, and Stonebridge Music. Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres. Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and in 2000 received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award.
Discography
Quotes
* "It's very difficult for me to say 'I love you' but to sing 'I love you' for me is easier."
* "My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is."
* "Because my musical training has been limited, I've never been restricted by what technical musicians might call a song."
* "I've always thought of music as something which gives the words their flight and their wings and the music often comes first, although sometimes I'll have a concept, a title idea, a lyric idea that I want to write and the lyric will come first."