The Who frontman Roger Daltrey informed the London Royal Albert Hall crowd on Sunday that he is going blind. The Sun reported that the 81-year-old singer announced his news while the band was performing their 25th annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity show.
“The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind,” Daltry said. “Fortunately, I still have my voice because I’ll have a full Tommy.”
If you aren’t sure what Daltry is referring to, “Tommy” is the name of The Who’s 1969 album. The rock opera depicts the story of a character named Tommy Walker who becomes “deaf, dumb, and blind.”
In 2018, Daltrey told the San Diego Union-Tribune he was “very, very deaf” and had to read lips and use monitors to keep up with what was going on during performances.
“The trouble with these ear things that I wear is that I am very, very deaf,” said Daltrey during a 2018 show. “And I advise you all — all you rock-and-roll fans — take your f—ing ear plugs to the gigs. If only we had known when we were young … we are lip-reading.”
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com