The West End debut of the Devil Wears Prada musical was music to Elton John‘s ears. But he has only been able to listen to the production. During the Sunday premiere, the musician revealed that the progression of a recent eye infection has resulted in a loss of sight.
“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,” John told the audience at London’s Dominion Theatre. “To my husband, who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews … It’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it, and it sounded good tonight.”
John made his way on and off the stage with the assistance of his husband, David Furnish, who has provided support since the musician’s vision was first impacted over the summer. In September, John revealed that his vision was limited in his right eye due to a “severe” infection. At the time, he noted that the process of recovering his sight would be slow but expressed hope that his healing journey would be a success.
In the months since, John has detailed restrictions that have come with his limited sight. “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything,” he shared in a November interview with Good Morning America. “There’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK. But I’m kind of stuck in the moment because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording… I don’t know. Because I can’t see a lyric, for start.”
John’s impaired vision isn’t the first of his health-related concerns. At the New York premiere of his documentary film Elton John: Never Too Late, he half-joked that “there’s not much of me left,” noting: “I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee. In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip.” But he also shared that throughout it all, he has been able to turn to music for support.
“Even when I was in my darkest times, I still played music, I still recorded music, so I have to say thank you to music for being the most incredible inspiration to me throughout my whole life,” he said. Now, John will have to learn to navigate his creative process in a new way.
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