Sir Elton John has given an update on his health, after being left with limited vision in one eye following a severe eye infection.
The musical legend, 77, revealed he lost eyesight in his right eye in the summer in France and as a result can’t see, read or watch anything.
Speaking to ABC News on Monday about his new documentary Never Too Late, Elton admitted he wasn’t sure about his ability to record any new music, as he puts all his focus on his health.
He said: ‘It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. 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.
‘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 okay, but 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 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.’
Sir Elton John has given an update on his health, after being left with limited vision in one eye following a severe eye infection
The musical legend, 77, revealed he lost eyesight in his right eye in the summer in France and as a result can’t see, read or watch anything (pictured earlier this month)
Speaking to ABC News on Monday about his new documentary Never Too Late, Elton admitted he wasn’t sure about his ability to record any new music, as he puts all his focus on his health
The acclaimed singer-songwriter candidly went 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.’
However, showing his inherent positive attitude, Elton voiced his gratitude for his life, saying: ‘I’m so lucky, I’m the luckiest man in the world.
‘I’m so proud of the documentary, I’m proud of my sons, I’m proud of my attitude towards myself and what’s going on. I’m just very lucky and very grateful.’
As well as his current sight issues, Elton has faced a multitude of other health issues, after he had both knees replaced as well his right hip following a fall, which forced him to delay his farewell tour in 2021.
The Rocket Man hitmaker, who played his final shows last summer, revealed his eyesight issues in September.
He took to his Instagram with a lengthy post, explaining how he spent the past few months ‘recuperating at home.’
Elton wrote: ‘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.’
The Rocket Man hitmaker, who played his final shows last summer, revealed his eyesight issues in September with an Instagram post, explaining how he spent the past few months ‘recuperating at home’
As well as his current sight issues, Elton has faced a multitude of other health issues, after he had both knees replaced as well his right hip following a fall, which forced him to delay his farewell tour in 2021 (pictured in 2022)
Elton concluded: ‘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 thus far.’
It comes after the EGOT winner admitted ‘I don’t know how much time I have left’ as he opened up about death in his new documentary last month.
In a scene from Never Too Late, Elton pondered his own mortality as he confessed he often thinks about life and death.
The Mirror revealed one scene from the film sees the musician sitting in the dressing room on his final tour and looking at his possession.
He then admits: ‘I wonder what is going to happen to all of this stuff when I finish? This is the latter time of my life. I don’t know how much time I have left.
‘You think about that more when you get to my age. You think about life and death. You think, “Well, I just want to be where I want to be now”.’
He added: ‘I don’t have to work after this. I will work and do records and putting radio shows together but travelling takes so much out of you.
‘It is very tiring. I am used to it. I am a veteran at it but this is where you start to think about mortality.’
It comes after the EGOT winner admitted ‘I don’t know how much time I have left’ as he opened up about death in his new documentary last month
Elton’s new Disney+ documentary and musical is a look back at his astonishing life in the early days of his fifty-year long career (pictured performing at Glastonbury 2023)
Elton’s new Disney+ documentary and musical is a look back at his astonishing life in the early days of his fifty-year long career.
The film features never-before-seen footage including a look into his handwritten diaries, the audio tapes from the landmark Rolling Stone interview and John Lennon joining him on stage for three songs after his Thanksgiving 1974 Madison Square Garden show.
In the lead up to his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium in November 2022, Elton takes viewers back in time and recounts the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction.
At a New York screening of the documentary last month, he joked: ‘To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left.
‘I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee.
‘In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough], you’re the people that made me.’
The film was directed by R. J. Cutler and Elton’s husband David Furnish, being released in theatres this month, before it drops on Disney+ on December 13 (David and Elton pictured last month)
The film was directed by R. J. Cutler and Elton’s husband David Furnish, being released in theatres this month, before it drops on Disney+ on December 13.
Elton and David, 62, share sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, together. Speaking about his boys, Elton admitted: ‘They worry as they know how old I am. Not so much David but me.
‘They love their Daddy so they want me to be around forever. I want to be around forever. I want to see them have children, get married but I don’t think I am going to be around for that. Who knows? You never know.
‘So that is why I want to make the best of my time while I am around. Our time together is so wonderful and so precious.’