British music icon Elton John has revealed that he has lost his eyesight due to ongoing complications from a severe infection. The announcement came during a gala performance of his new musical, The Devil Wears Prada, at London’s Dominion Theatre. John composed the music for the production but admitted he could not watch the show due to his vision issues.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight. So it’s hard for me to see it. But I love to hear it, and boy, it sounded good tonight,” said the 77-year-old singer, who thanked his husband, David Furnish, calling him “my rock.”
Three months earlier, John disclosed that a severe eye infection contracted in July while in France had left him blind in his right eye and with “only limited vision” in his left.
“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he wrote in a statement on social media. “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.”
During an interview with Good Morning America last week, John elaborated on how his vision problems are affecting his career.
“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,” he shared. “So, there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but… I’m kind of stuck at the moment, because I can do something like this [the interview], but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start.”
The Devil Wears Prada musical, based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel and the subsequent hit film, officially opened in London’s West End with a star-studded gala performance. The event raised funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and featured US actor and model Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly, the famously demanding fashion editor.
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, long rumoured to have inspired Priestly’s character, was among the notable attendees.
