72-Year-Old Eric Clapton Reveals Health Crisis, Hopeful Fans Will Still Come See Him
World-renowned guitarist and performer Eric Clapton is hopeful fans will still come to his concerts, despite his health struggles.
It may not be 1965 anymore, but the 72-year-old musical legend is still looking forward to what’s next, and hopes fans will be along for the ride.
Admittedly, Clapton doesn’t have quite the same guitar-slaying hand dexterity anymore. His hearing is also, well, aging.
“I mean, I’m going deaf,” Clapton told BBC 2 Radio in a Jan. 9 interview. “I’ve got tinnitus, my hands just about work.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, tinnitus itself isn’t a condition. Tinnitus is “a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss.”
Still, Clapton is looking ahead, currently promoting his documentary “A Life in 12 Bars,” which released in November 2017.
The documentary covers Clapton’s tumultuous personal life, his drug and alcohol addictions, and of course, his music.
The film admittedly has its dark elements, particularly in the depiction of Clapton’s heroin use and the untimely death of his young son, Connor, in 1991.
He said that he barely recognized himself from those darker times. “I just have to face the guy that I became when I was fueled on drugs and alcohol,” he said. “It’s incomprehensible to me, in a way, that I got so far out.”
But Clapton says ultimately, the flick is a story of redemption.
“I think it’s important to see that it’s a happy ending, it’s like a redemption concept,” Clapton said of the documentary. “If you’re going to go and see it, be prepared for a heavy ride.”
Clapton released his last album,”I Still Do,” in 2016. During the album’s recording, Clapton admitted to battling eczema so severe “the palms of my hand were coming off.”
Two years later, his skin has improved, though “it’s just getting old now,” as Clapton told Rolling Stone in a December 2017 interview.
He added that he would “be alright,” and “accept it,” should the day come when he could no longer play guitar.
Clapton also revealed he is working on another studio album, which will be followed by a smattering of shows after its release. And he hopes that people will want to come.
“I mean, I’m hoping that people will come along and see me just because, or maybe more than because I’m a curiosity,” Clapton told BBC 2. “It’s amazing to myself that I’m still here.”
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