Huey Lewis said in a recent episode of the "Inside of You" podcast that he's "basically deaf" now, and that the change has quietly ended his relationship with the music that made him famous. "My life has changed immeasurably," the former Huey Lewis and the News frontman said, adding that music no longer plays any part in his daily life at all.
Lewis explained that he relies on a cochlear implant to follow speech, but the device can't reproduce pitch because "it breaks everything down into digital bits" for him to understand. Music's layered frequencies and overtones scramble into distortion instead of melody, he said, a side effect that followed his diagnosis with Meniere's disease in early 2018, a disorder of the inner ear that can cause dizziness, ringing in the ears and hearing loss with no known cure.
The singer said he no longer plays the old big band and New Orleans jazz records he used to spin for dinner guests, even though "I can hear the beat, I know what's going on. But I can't enjoy it." Before his diagnosis, Lewis toured 75 to 100 shows a year behind hits like "The Power of Love" and "Hip to Be Square" that anchored 1980s rock radio and crossed onto the pop charts as well; these days he spends much of that freed-up time fly-fishing instead, joking that hearing isn't required out on the water.
Lewis first discussed the diagnosis publicly with the Los Angeles Times back in 2020, when he described the news as "brutal" and said his first reaction was that he "might as well kill myself." The Times' latest interview doesn't say whether Lewis plans further treatment or an upgraded implant, and there's no word on whether Huey Lewis and the News will perform together again.
His tone in the new interview echoes how the Times described him back in 2020, as "surprisingly upbeat" given how much the diagnosis has reshaped his life. Still, he was candid about what the loss costs him day to day. "Music used to be so much fun," he said, before adding that missing out on it now "ends up being frustrating for me when I can't enjoy it. I can't feel the warmth." He isn't the only musician to speak out about hearing loss this year; MusicSuey also covered V of BTS gives a health update, saying he has lost hearing in his right ear.
The facts
- Says he is "basically deaf" due to Meniere's disease, diagnosed in early 2018
- Uses a cochlear implant that restores speech but cannot reproduce musical pitch
- Told the LA Times in 2020 the diagnosis was "brutal" and he initially thought he "might as well kill myself"
- Used to tour 75 to 100 shows a year before his hearing loss
- Now spends much of his free time fly fishing
- Says he can no longer "feel the warmth" of music even though he can still hear the beat
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