News & Information

You’re Not Alone
With Your Hearing Difficulties

Some Famous People with Hearing Loss Who Use Hearing Devices…

Bill Clinton
Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton, cited hearing loss as a medical challenge in his annual physicals. Then his saxophone playing, rock concert and marching band attendances, loud campaign rallies and screeching presidential helicopters caught up with him. During his second term in the White House, Bill Clinton sought treatment for the difficulty he was experiencing with high frequency sounds. In 1997, Bill Clinton was fitted with a pair of almost invisible state-of-the-art digital hearing aids.

Barbra Streisand
Singing diva, movie star and political activist, Barbra Streisand has suffered from tinnitus (ringing ears or ear noise) since the age of seven. According to the Independent, a British newspaper, Barbra believes her volatile temperament stems from her hearing affliction which disrupts her sleep and affects her balance.

William Shatner
Known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, William Shatner suffered so severely with a tinnitus problem as a result of stage/prop explosion on the set of StarTrek, that he contemplated suicide. Fortunately, he discovered tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) involving a hearing aid device that helped him to ignore and habituate to the sounds of his tinnitus.

Phil Collins
Former Genesis drummer and vocalist, Phil Collins, announced that he would cut back on his live concerts because of his hearing loss. He stated that he will perform live only occasionally to avoid further hearing loss in his left ear.

Bono
U2 lead singer, Bono, describes his hearing problem in his lyrics. Bono derived his name from a hearing aid store in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland which had a sign that read "Bonavox Hearing Aids."

Pete Townshend
According to the 57-year-old guitarist: "I have severe hearing damage. It's manifested itself as tinnitus, ringing in the ears at frequencies that I play guitar. It hurts, it's painful, and it's frustrating." Townshend is completely deaf in one ear as a result of loud amps, and an explosion Keith Moon initiated when he blew up his drum set live on stage in the early 1960's. His tinnitus resulted somewhat from the band's live concerts but mainly the loud volume in which he and Entwistle used to listen to playbacks over the studio "cans." There are reports saying that he is unable even to hear his phone ring. Recently Pete said: "The recent return to touring and to me playing electric guitar - albeit more quietly than in the 1970s - led to further deterioration of my hearing. My right ear, which encounters my own edgy guitar and the machine gun strokes of the drums, has suffered badly. Luckily for me, I still have my left ear, which seems to be less "messed up". When I've worked solo in the past five years I've not used drums. This has meant I could play more quietly I think. With The Who, there is of course no way to play the old songs without drums. I've no idea what I can do about this. I am unable to perform with in-ear monitors. In fact, they increase the often unbearable tinnitus I suffer after shows."

Morgan Fairchild
Born prematurely, actress Morgan Fairchild developed scarlet fever. As a child, she had numerous kidney and ear infections. Morgan describes herself as partially deaf.

Other Celebrities With Hearing Impairments:

David Letterman
Steve Martin
Sylvester Stallone
Burt Reynolds
Sting
Engelbert Humperdinck
Eric Clapton
Cher

These are a few among the many thousands of entertainers suffering from tinnitus and other hearing impairments.