Elton John says his vision has deteriorated since eye infection

Elton John’s vision has deteriorated since eye infection

Elton John leans back while playing the piano and singing onstage

Dec. 2, 2024 11:30 AM PT

Elton John, the visionary “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” pop icon, says his eyesight has deteriorated.

The 77-year-old singer-songwriter made his latest health revelation Sunday during opening night of “The Devil Wears Prada” musical in London. John, who wrote the score for the stage adaptation, told the audience that he struggled to experience the West End show in its full glory because of his deteriorated vision.

“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight,” the Grammy Award winner said, adding, “So it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it, and, boy, it sounded good tonight.”

Before Sunday’s London showing, “The Devil Wears Prada” musical — based on the popular 2006 film of the same name — originally debuted in Chicago in 2022.

John shared new details about his vision loss after revealing in September that a severe eye infection from the summer left him with “limited vision in one eye.” In a statement shared to Instagram, the EGOT winner said his recovery had been an “extremely slow process” and he told fans that it would take some time for him to regain sight in his impacted eye. At the time, he said he felt “positive” about his healing progress.

The entertainer, whose musical bonafides include stage productions of “The Lion King” and “Billy Elliot,” also discussed his eye health in a November interview with “Good Morning America.” He told host Robin Roberts last week that his right eye was infected in July while he was in the south of France and that he hasn’t been able to see out of it for months. “My left eye’s not the greatest,” he added at the time.

The musician told Roberts he felt “stuck,” sharing that his condition has negatively impacted his ability to record new music, as well as his ability to read or watch anything. Nevertheless, he said he feels grateful for his life, which is the subject of the recent documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late,” which is co-directed by his husband, David Furnish, and documentarian R.J. Cutler. The documentary will be available to stream on Disney+ starting Dec. 13.

“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said on “GMA,” also praising his family and himself. “I’m proud of my attitude towards myself and what’s going on. I’m just very lucky.”

Times staff writer Nardine Saad and the Associated Press contributed to this report.