United Kingdom, Aug. 28 -- Gladys Knight is stepping back from performing to focus on a "new era" with her family.

The 82-year-old singer - who married fourth husband William McDowell in 2001 and the couple have 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren between them - is currently on tour but has announced she will be "easing into fewer performances" to allow her to move forward with the next stage of her "career and life".

She wrote in a statement shared to Instagram: "After much soul searching I've decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward.

"I'll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and ...