Elton John revealed he has lost his sight following an eye infection.
The renowned singer-songwriter said at a West End gala performance of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical (for which he wrote the lyrics) that he was only able to enjoy the show in an auditory manner, per the BBC.
“I have lost my sight and I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed listening to it,” he said on stage at the charity event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation held at The Dominion Theatre in London on Sunday evening. According to the Daily Mail, he was assisted off stage by his husband David Furnish.
“To my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews,” he added, per the Daily Mail. “It’s hard for me to see it but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight. Thank you for coming!”
Last week, the five-time Grammy winner revealed to ABC News’ Robin Roberts that his eyesight had deteriorated and that plans for a new album were put on hold as a result of the health issue.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything,” he said. “I just have to get off my backside. 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. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment.”
He continued, “Because I can do something like this [interview], but going into the studio and recording — I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start. We’re taking an initiative to try and get it better, but at the moment that’s really what we’re concentrating on. It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen. And it kind of floored me and I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
Despite this, the “Rocket Man” musician reiterated his gratitude amid the promotion of his forthcoming documentary Elton John: It’s Never Too Late, premiering in the U.S. on Disney+ Dec. 13. “I’m so lucky, I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said.