Photo Credit: Raph_PH / CC by 3.0
Legendary singer Elton John has revealed he is suffering partial blindness after an eye infection. The singer says he hasn’t been working on anything lately because of it—but hopes to be back at the piano soon.
“I have lost my sight and I haven’t been able to see the performance, but I have enjoyed listening to it,” Elton John told an audience at a charity event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in London. He was assisted off-stage by his long-time husband David Furnish.
“To my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews,” John continued. “It’s hard for me to see it but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight. Thank you for coming!”
Speaking in an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, John revealed his eyesight has deteriorated and plans to release a new album were put on hold because of it.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything,” John tells Roberts. “I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France. And it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment.”
“I can do something like this [interview], but going into the studio and recording—I don’t know. I can’t see a lyric for a start. We’re taking an initiative to try and get better, but at the moment that’s what we’re really concentrating on. It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen. And it kind of floored me and I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
Meanwhile, a new documentary about the life of Elton John is coming to Disney+ on December 13. ‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ will debut on December 13 featuring iconic concert footage from his career. The trailer features Elton reflecting on his career and his success, as well as the personal challenges he faced throughout his career. The documentary was directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish.