Paul Simon launching farewell tour in Vancouver this spring

Paul Simon performs at the Nearness of You concert at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK - Only a few days after Elton John announced he will retire from touring in three years, another venerable music figure is throwing in the touring towel - Paul Simon.

Simon took to social media Monday to say his upcoming tour will be his last, citing the personal toll of touring and the death of his lead guitarist.

Tickets for his “Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour” will go on sale Feb. 8. It kicks off in May in Vancouver, Canada, and will take him across North America and Europe. His last date is July 15 in London with James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt as special guests.

Simon's best-known songs include “The Sound of Silence,” ”Mrs. Robinson,“ ”Bridge Over Troubled Water“ and ”Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes.“