Art Garfunkel Cried at Reunion Lunch With Paul Simon and Asked ‘What Happened? Why Haven’t We Seen Each Other?’: I Wanted to ‘Make Amends Before It’s Too Late’

Could Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel finally become old friends?

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Garfunkel revealed that he and Simon had an emotional reunion at a lunch a few weeks ago. It marked the first time the two — who were one of the bestselling musical acts of the ’60s as Simon & Garfunkel — had seen each other in many years.

“I looked at Paul and said, ‘What happened? Why haven’t we seen each other?'” Garfunkel said. “Paul mentioned an old interview where I said some stuff. I cried when he told me how much I had hurt him. Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake up the nice guy image of Simon & Garfunkel. Y’know what? I was a fool!”

Garfunkel added that he and Simon, who are both 83 years old, have made plans to meet up again. “Will Paul bring his guitar? Who knows,” he said. “For me, it was about wanting to make amends before it’s too late. It felt like we were back in a wonderful place. As I think about it now, tears are rolling down my cheeks. I can still feel his hug.”

Simon and Garfunkel have had a well-documented tumultuous friendship, beginning with their original breakup in 1970 after the making of their fifth album “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” They have reunited several times since then, most recently at a 2010 American Film Institute tribute to “The Graduate” director Mike Nichols.

In the years following, they have traded barbs in the press, with Garfunkel calling Simon an “idiot” and “jerk” in a 2015 interview with the Daily Telegraph. The next year, Simon told NPR that the two would never reunite again, saying: “Quite honestly, we don’t get along. So it’s not like it’s fun.” In 2018, Simon retired from touring.