Rock legend Eric Clapton has revealed that he is going deaf. In a recent interview on BBC Radio 2’s “Steve Wright in the Afternoon,” the award-winning guitarist spoke about how both his hearing loss and tinnitus — a hearing disorder that can cause high-pitched ringing in the ears — are affecting his career.
“I mean, I’m going deaf, I’ve got tinnitus, my hands just about work,” he said. “I mean, I’m hoping that people will come along and see me just because, or maybe more than because I’m a curiosity. I know that is part of it. It’s amazing to myself that I’m still here.”
However, Clapton explained that he fully intends on continuing to perform. “I’m still going to work, I’m doing a few gigs, I’m doing a show in Hyde Park in July,” he said. “You know the only thing I’m concerned with now is being in my 70s and being able to be proficient.”
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com