Appearing at a gala performance of his new musical The Devil Wears Prada in London last night (1 December), Elton John revealed to the audience that he has lost his eyesight. Speaking onstage at the star-studded event, a charity gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at London’s Dominion Theatre with celebrities including Lily Collins and Anna Wintour amongst the audience members, the British legend said, “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.” Sir Elton thanked his husband David Furnish, describing him as “my rock”.
Back in September, the Rocket Man star revealed that an eye infection had left him with severely limited vision. In a statement posted on Instagram, he said, “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 so far.”
Sir Elton recently revealed that his deteriorating vision had paused his work in the studio, in particular a touted new album with his long-term collaborator Bernie Taupin. Speaking to the ABC News show Good Morning America, he said, “I’m kind of stuck at the moment, because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I cant see a lyric for a start.”
The Devil Wears Prada is an adaptation of the film and book of the same name, with John writing the score for the musical.
