Devastating hearing condition forces Huey Lewis to retire

American singer Huey Lewis has broke some devastating news to his fans.

Taking to his Facebook page on Saturday morning, the ‘Stuck with You’ crooner announced that he and his band, Huey Lewis and The News, would not be continuing with touring. Lewis, who is now 67 years old, confirmed that he has been diagnosed with an incurable hearing condition.

“Two and a half months ago, just before a show in Dallas, I lost most of my hearing,” Lewis explained. “Although I can still hear a little, one on one, and on the phone, I can’t hear music well enough to sing. The lower frequencies distort violently making it impossible to find pitch.”

The ‘If This Is It’ singer said he had seen numerous health professionals, but none were able to assist him.

“I’ve been to the House Ear Institute, the Stanford Ear Institute, and the Mayo Clinic, hoping to find an answer,” he continued. “The doctors believe I have Meniere’s disease and have agreed that I can’t perform until I improve.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkAVfsw5xSQ

Meniere’s disease is a condition that impacts the inner ear. It usually impacts a person’s balance and hearing, but can also cause them to experience vertigo during an attack. It tends to develop over a period of time and hearing loss is a common side effect of it.

The exact cause of Meniere’s disease is not known, but a build-up of fluid in the ear can interrupt messages to and from the brain. At present, there is no cure.

Lewis said it was with a heavy heart that he was forced to cancel all his upcoming shows.

“Therefore the only prudent thing to do is to cancel all future shows,” he explained. “Needless to say, I feel horrible about this, and wish to sincerely apologise to all the fans who’ve already bought tickets and were planning to come see us.”

Still, he remained hopeful that he would one day be able to return to the stage and perform for his fans.

“I’m going to concentrate on getting better, and hope that one day soon I’ll be able to perform again,” he added.

Fans have been saddened and shocked by the news, offering their support and well-wishes to their idol.

One person on Facebook wrote: “How awful for you! I agree completely that your health is far more important to regain than to risk doing further permanent damage. You’ve always been a wonderful performer and I hope you are able to return full strength to what you love and do so very well. Good luck with your recovery sir”.

Another comment read: “Praying you’ll get better. I’m sorry I won’t be seeing you next month but have 33 years of great memories seeing you in concert”.

A third fan offered some advice and said: “You may wish to consider a Cochlear Implant down the road. I got one after almost 12 years of being totally deaf. It took a while, but I can now hear and appreciate music from my favourite era, the 70s and 80s!! Don’t despair or give up”.

Are you a fan of Huey Lewis? Do you have a message of support for him?