Elton John, the legendary musician, has revealed that he is unable to watch his latest musical, The Devil Wears Prada, due to serious issues with his eyesight. The 77-year-old, who is blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other, shared this news during a special gala performance of the show in London’s West End. The event was held at the Dominion Theatre to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Speaking to the audience, Elton thanked his husband, David Furnish, calling him his “rock.” He admitted, “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.”
Elton’s vision problems began in July when he contracted a severe eye infection while in the south of France. In a social media statement shared in September, he explained that the infection left him blind in his right eye and with only partial vision in his left.
“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process,” he wrote. “It will take time before sight returns to the impacted eye. I’m 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 singer recently discussed his struggles on Good Morning America. He revealed that his eyesight issues are also delaying work on his next album with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. “I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July, and my left eye is not the greatest,” he said. “There’s hope that it will improve, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment. I can do interviews like this, but recording music is harder because I can’t even see a lyric.”
The Devil Wears Prada, based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger and the hit 2006 film, tells the story of Andy, a young journalist who becomes the assistant to Miranda Priestly, a demanding fashion magazine editor. In the musical, Miranda is played by Vanessa Williams, an acclaimed actor and model.
The star-studded event was attended by notable figures from the fashion world, including Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Many believe that Wintour inspired the character of Miranda Priestly. On the red carpet, Wintour commented, “It’s for the audience and for the people I work with to decide if there are any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly.”
