Elton John, unfortunately, has been going through it lately, and now he’s at the point where he has, in his words, “lost my sight.”
In September, he explained:
“Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye. I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”
Then, a few days ago (as Stereogum notes), John told ABC News’ Robin Roberts:
“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything, and I just have to get off my backside. Unfortunately, I 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’s not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement, and it will be OK, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment. Because I can do something like this [interview], but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know because I can’t see a lyric, for a start. We’re taking initiative to try and get it better, but at the moment, that’s really what we’re concentrating on. It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen, and it kind of floored me. I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything. I can’t watch anything.
Then, as the Daily Mail notes, John was at the premiere of his The Devil Wears Prada musical in London yesterday (December 1). There, he said, “As some of you may know, I have had issues, and now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance, but I have enjoyed it. […] It’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight.”
Earlier this year, John secured an EGOT when his Farewell From Dodger Stadium concert special won the Emmy for Best Variety Special (Live).
