Sir Elton John has said he has “lost his eyesight”, which has prevented him from watching his new musical.
The 77-year-old singer revealed in an Instagram post in September that his vision has been affected in his right eye after contracting an infection in the summer.
Appearing at the gala opening of new musical The Devil Wears Prada, for which he has written the score, he thanked his husband, David Furnish, for being his “rock”.
He told the audience on Sunday night: “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.”
In a post on Instagram in September, Sir Elton 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.”
He thanked the medical team and his family who have been looking after him, adding: “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’s headline set at Glastonbury in 2023 marked his last UK performance as part of his 330-date marathon Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which he drew to a close with an emotionally charged show in Stockholm, Sweden.
The veteran musician, who was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour at a ceremony in November 2021, is known for hits including Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, I’m Still Standing, and Your Song.
In 2019, he was played by Kingsman actor Taron Egerton in a film about his life called Rocketman.
