Even the rich and famous suffer from ringing in the ears and tinnitus

If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you’re at a point in your life when you may begin to hear constant ringing in your ears and other noises caused by a condition medical professionals refer to as tinnitus. We are now learning that baby boomers who grew up and lived their adult lives listening to loud music are more likely to have this problem than their parents, grandparents, and previous generations.

If you don’t think that years of listening to loud music can damage your ears, just look at the list of “veteran” rock musicians who now have constant ringing in their ears and other noises in their ears caused by tinnitus.

Here is a partial list of rock and roll royalty who have admitted to having tinnitus and other hearing problems:

John Entwhistle and Pete Townshend of The Who
Townshend is completely deaf in one ear, a condition caused by a combination of an explosion on stage, high-decibel concerts, and loud headphones while listening to playbacks of studio cuts.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood
Fleetwood admitted in a recent Rolling Stone interview that “the worst thing in the world is when you find yourself going like Mother Hubbard and cupping your hand behind your ear. I was a huge glutton for volume: ‘I have to feel it, I have to hear it.’ Sooner or later you’re going to pay the reaper.”

Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jeff Beck of the Yardbirds, Ted Nugent, Huey Lewis and Bono (U2) have all suffered from tinnitus or other forms of hearing problems during their careers.

Musicians from well-known groups Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and My Bloody Valentine have also lost at least a percentage of their audience over the years.

It’s not just loud music either

Musicians aren’t the only artists and celebrities to suffer from hearing problems.

Both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have hearing problems similar to the tinnitus they suffered during a prop explosion when they were filming an episode of Star Trek in the late 1960s.

Tinnitus has been a problem for actor and comedian Steve Martin, who acquired it while filming a pistol shooting scene in “Three Amigos!” in 1986.

Constant ringing in the ears has been a problem for some famous people for a long time, even before they achieved fame, in some cases.

Barbra Streisand has attributed her volatile temper to the tinnitus she has had since she was seven years old, according to multiple news reports.

Actress Morgan Fairchild had scarlet fever when she was very young. She says that she also had many kidney infections and ear infections when she was a child, which she believes caused her to become partially deaf.

Ear noises that have likely been caused by tinnitus have also affected many other famous people, including the late ABC journalist Peter Jennings, broadcaster Larry King, actor Richard Thomas, and Presidents Bill Clinton and the late Ronald Reagan. .

Having tinnitus is not an indication that you will lose your hearing completely. But if you hear constant ringing in your ears, or noises in your ears like a ringing, buzzing, hissing, hissing, or any sound that shouldn’t be there, you should definitely make an appointment to have your hearing tested as soon as possible. possible. .