Photo: Scott Dudelson (Getty Images)
We hate to wish ill will upon anyone, but karma has a way of righting wrongs. Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath recently revealed that he’s losing his hearing. “I’m deaf now,” he told DailyMail TV this week. “It’s years and years of being on the road and being 2 feet in front of symbols and drums. So high frequencies, I can’t hear anymore. I’ll be listening to people and they’ll tell me their names and I can’t hear anymore.”
That sounds awful, but McGrath has to look on the bright side. At least he won’t ever have to listen to his band’s ’90s hits “Fly,” “Someday,” and “Every Morning” again. (We’re kidding, of course.) Hearing loss is irreversible, but it can be managed. It’s an occupational hazard for musicians who spend tireless hours in tight quarters, exposed to high volume audio.
Here are some of the other notable musicians who have sacrificed their hearing for their passion.
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Deaf Musicians
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Chris Martin
The Coldplay frontman going deaf would explain so much.
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Pete Townsend
The Who guitarist said, "What?"
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Will.I.Am
There is a music god.
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Phil Collins
Hearing loss drove Phil Collins to hang up the drum sticks in 2011, but he made a triumphant comeback in 2016.
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Ozzy Osbourne
Is Ozzy really going deaf or is The Prince of Darkness just claiming that so he doesn't have to listen to wife Sharon and those kids?
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Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton has lost a lot in his life, including his hearing with a bad case of tinnitus, which is basically ringing in the ears that affects one in five people.
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Neil Young
Say it ain't so, Neil! We need you "Rockin' in the Free World" more than ever.
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Huey Lewis
Please, music gods, let the "Power of Love" heal Huey.
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Grimes
Hearing loss even affects the young. Maybe her ex-boyfriend, Elon Musk, can think up a solution. Tesla hearing aids?
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven made all that beautiful music with only partial hearing proves why he's the GOAT.
Photo: Fine Art Images (Getty Images)
