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20 Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus

Musicians carry a high risk of hearing loss. The power of amps, pumping bass, and screaming fans all add up. Without it though, touring and making music would definitely be worse off. Did you know? These well-known musicians have all experienced hearing or tinnitus during their impressive careers.

How Being A Musician Can Impact Hearing

It is widely known that excessive exposure to loud sounds has the potential to damage our hearing. Working in the music industry is actually one of the most risky jobs for our hearing. It is highly likely that such issues may arise as a direct result of noise-induced hearing loss.

Famous Musicians With Hearing Loss & Tinnitus

Bob Dylan

Suffers from tinnitus after a highly successful and extensive career in the music industry. He is one of the most high-profile names on the planet to be affected by ringing in the eras.

Ozzy Osbourne

The Black Sabbath front man suffers from permanent tinnitus after spending decades surrounded by the noise of heavy metal.

Barbra Streisand

Despite a fruitful career as one of the world's most recognizable voices, Barbra Streisand's tinnitus is not the result of being a musician. In fact, her tinnitus became evident when she was a child at the age of nine.

Eric Clapton

Suffering from both hearing loss and tinnitus, the former Cream guitarist's conditions are believed to be noise-induced.

Phil Collins

The former Genesis singer actually developed sudden deafness as a result of an infection in the year 2000. During the early 2010s, this had developed into some more chronic and caused a temporary retirement.

Bono

The face of U2 suffers from tinnitus and even sings about hard of hearing in the song Staring at the Sun. The real irony is that his stage name originated from a hearing aid store in Dublin.

Sting

With some real hearing aid experience, Sting's hearing loss stems from a lack of wearing a device.

Neil Young

It is widely believed that the more somber Harvest Moon was released due to the onset of tinnitus.

Pete Townshend

The famous songwriter and The Who guitarist suffers from hearing loss and tinnitus, and it believed that he is almost deaf.

Roger Daltrey

The second member of The Who to appear on this list has been heavily impacted of late by noise-induced hearing loss.

Brian Johnson

The lead singer of rock icons AC/DC took a little break from the band to give his ears a rest, but states his hearing loss comes from car racing, not loud music.

George Harrison

One-quarter of the Beatles, and the most private member is rumoured to have hearing issues.

Paul Stanley

You may not recognize him without his makeup on, but the KISS front man has had hearing problems since birth.

Chris Martin

The Coldplay star has been suffered from tinnitus for well over a decade now.

Liam Gallagher

The former Oasis singer has claimed he suffers from tinnitus.

Ted Nugent

His hearing loss may have come from shooting rather than his music but he now wears earplugs at concerts.

Mick Fleetwood

The Fleetwood Mac drummer first noticed his hearing loss way back in 1989.

Anthony Kiedis

The Red Hot Chili Pepper's vocalist details his hearing loss and tinnitus in his biography Scar Tissue, claiming the onset occurred after touring with Nirvana.

Lars Ulrich

The Metallica drummer developed hearing loss and tinnitus early on in the band's rise to worldwide fame.

Brian Wilson

The second and final Brian on this list. The Beach Boys co-founder has been partially deaf in his right ear for most of his life. Alternatively, you can see a range of celebs who are hard of hearing, suffer from tinnitus or are deaf, here.

How Can I Protect My Ears From Harmful Noise?

It's not just musicians who need to protect their ears from hearing loss. Many of us already work in excessively loud workplaces and attend concerts regularly. A number of performers are already taking cautious steps when it comes down to playing a show, and that is with ear plugs. Ear plugs and hearing protection have become essential items to own. Whether you attend gigs, work in construction, are hard of hearing or experience ringing in the ears, taking the appropriate steps can help you avoid the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Alternatively, ear plugs help those with tinnitus manage loud environments.

Test For Hearing Loss

Take our free online hearing test to check the current state of your hearing.
Results will indicate if you should seek further action to prevent any further damage to your ability to hear. We recommend that you consult a healthcare professional or audiologist if you have any concerns. Our own audiologist is available to help with hearing loss queries.

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