Joan Baez Reveals How She Found 'Total Forgiveness' for Bob Dylan Years After Breakup (Exclusive)

Joan Baez has finally found “total forgiveness” with Bob Dylan.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the “Farewell, Angelina” singer, 82, reflects on her relationship with Dylan, 82, which is also a topic she covers in her new documentary Joan Baez: I Am a Noise (in limited release Oct. 6).

After breaking out in 1960, Baez began collaborating with and dating a then-unknown Dylan. Despite their productive creative partnership, the relationship came to a record-scratching halt when he abruptly broke her heart in 1965. Their love affair inspired one of Baez’s biggest hits with 1975’s “Diamonds & Rust.”

“We were in our early 20s,” says Baez, who calls the relationship “totally demoralizing” in the film. “We were stupid, and you can’t blame somebody forever. I certainly tried but finally stopped.” 

She later found “total forgiveness” for Dylan after she painted a portrait of him in his youth: “I put his music on, and I just dissolved into tears. When I was through with the painting, I had no animosity left. None. It’s remained that way.” 

According to Baez, the pair has never reconnected over the years.

A rep for Dylan has not yet responded to PEOPLE for a request for comment.

I Am a Noise, directed by Karen O'Connor, Miri Navasky and Maeve O'Boyle, is a stunningly candid portrait of the folk legend that details her career as an artist and activist, while delving into her relationships, family and trauma,  as she wraps her final tour in 2019.

While speaking with PEOPLE, Baez also opened up about the hardship she faced at home. In the film she reveals memories of early family abuse. “It was a dark childhood,” Baez says. “Some deep, traumatic things happened.”

Baez also revealed she began experiencing panic attacks at a young age and often faced racist remarks at school because of her Latin heritage. “ ‘Skinny, dumb Mexican’ is basically how I saw myself,” she says. 

“I think it's as clear as it can be in the film. As you move along through the film, it keeps recurring; that that's how I'm living was from panic to panic,” she says of how her mental health was affected.  

Her mother struggled to figure out what was troubling her when she was growing up. 

“My mom says that at one point, ‘’There's something in there. We don't know what it is. I thought she was a happy child, but something's bothering her. I don't know if she knows what it is,’” Baez recalls.

Later on, her panic attacks were exacerbated by public appearances, but she still was unsure what was triggering them.

Baez officially retired from touring in 2019, but made an exception in May for San Francisco's 2023 Acoustic-4-A-Cure, organized by Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir.

While touring may be off the table, is new music?

"I don't know," she tells PEOPLE. "It seems a little late in the game."

Part of her uncertainty has to do with Baez recently discovering her voice has changed.

"In order to sing anything, I have to give up the old one and any thoughts I had that I could really revitalize that," she says of her voice. "There's some of it left that moves into this new era in the lower range, which is kind of fun for me. It's a challenge."

Otherwise, Baez is enjoying her retirement, relishing time spent with her son Gabriel Harris (with ex-husband David Harris) and granddaughter Jasmine, as well as drawing and writing poetry.

"The word ‘retirement’ didn’t have any meaning to me,” she says, "but it’s loosened up this creative energy that just kind of exploded.”