At 78 years old, Elton John hasn’t stopped creating. He just dropped the collaborative album Who Believes in Angels? with singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile on Friday, April 4. Unfortunately, the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” battled an eye infection last summer that left him nearly blind in his left eye. And during a recent interview, John revealed that he conttinues to struggle with the effects.
Elton John Opens Up About Eyesight Problems
Last November, Elton John revealed that he was putting his new album on hold after a severe eye infection limited the vision in his left eye over the summer. “I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he said in a post shared to social media.
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Unfortunately, the situation seems to have further deteriorated since then. “I can see you, but I can’t see TV, I can’t read,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer told The Times of London. “I can’t see my boys playing rugby and soccer, and it has been a very stressful time because I’m used to soaking it all up.”
John shares two sons, 14, and Elijah, 12, with husband David Furnish. “It’s distressing. You get emotional, but you have to get used to it because I’m lucky to have the life I have,” he said. “I still have my wonderful family, and I can still see something out of here.”
Gesturing to his left eye, John said simply, “So you say to yourself, just get on with it.”
[RELATED: Elton John Breaks Down Over New Song About Mortality: “How Much Time Have I Got Left?”]
What Does This Mean For His Career?
During a November appearance on Good Morning America, Elton John said that his worsening eyesight does cast doubt on his musical future. “I can do something like this. But going into the studio and recording, I don’t know,” he confessed.. “Because I can’t see a lyric for start. … It kind of floored me, and I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
Still, the drive to create remains. “I’m riddled with music. It is the greatest gift I have ever been given and here I am at 78, feeling better than I have ever been,” he told The Times.
Pointing to his eyes, he continued, “This is a bastard, but we’ll get over it. There is a lot more to do.”
Featured image by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
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