"I can't see a lyric"— Elton John opens up about loss of vision in one eye due to an infection
Elton John made a shocking admission about his health, revealing that he can't see anything in his right eye after contracting a severe infection. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon joined Good Morning America's Robin Roberts on Monday, November 25, 2024, and shared that "it's been a while" since he worked on any new music. John said that losing his eyesight is mostly the reason for that, saying:
"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 [a] start."
The Rocket Man hitmaker also shared details about his current condition and what caused it. He told Roberts in the interview:
"I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France."
Elton John mentioned that he has been suffering from the fact that he has lost vision in his right eye for four months now. And it doesn't help that his left eye is "not the greatest" as well.
Elton John says he's working on getting his eyesight back
Elsewhere in his interview for Good Morning America, Elton John shared how getting an infection and losing his eyesight "floored" him. He shared his current struggles with Robin Roberts, saying:
"It kinda floored me, and I can't see anything, I can't read anything, I can't watch anything."
However, the music icon has something positive to share about his current condition, saying that "there is hope and encouragement" to regain his eyesight. He told Roberts in the interview that his focus right now is regaining his eyesight, and added:
"We're taking an initiative to true and get it better. At the moment, that's really what I'm concentrating on. It's never fortunate for anything like this to happen."
Elton John first revealed his battle with the infection that caused the whole ordeal in September. He shared a post on Instagram talking about how he had been dealing with a "severe eye infection" over the summer. Unfortunately, he said, it left him with "only limited vision in one eye." He also shared some hope for his condition then, writing:
"I am healing, but it's an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye."
He mentioned spending the summer at home recuperating and that he felt positive about whatever progress he had made in his "healing and recovery" so far. He also thanked his doctors and nurses, as well as his family, for taking good care of him in the last several weeks.
Elton John has previously shared various other struggles. He told Rolling Stone on October 2 that he had a hearing loss and had to go on surgery to remove his prostate after getting a cancer diagnosis. Amongst other things, he revealed that he doesn't have tonsils anymore, adenoids or an appendix, a right hip, a left knee, or a right knee.
While there won't be any music for Elton John anytime soon, his brand new documentary Never Too Late debuted in the UK on November 15, 2024, and will drop on Disney+ on December 13. Per the details in the official trailer, the film will be all about when John "risked it all, to find himself" and will capture the "astonishing early days of his 50-year career," including both the highs and lows that made him who he is today.
