"Cars" singer Gary Numan has revealed that he is almost fully deaf, and uses hearing aids to get by on a day-to-day basis. As reported by People, he revealed the news on the I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast.
On his appearance in the podcast on April 1, Gary Numan opened up about his experience being deaf. He explained that he was wearing hearing aids during the interview, and during general life. This is because he is almost "90% deaf".
Podcast host Paul Whitehouse quipped that his hearing loss may have had something to do with playing Les Pauls into amplifiers at "maximum volume", leading to his ears to be "done".
But, funnily enough, Gary Numan agreed. Being a musician can seriously damage your hearing, if you're not careful. Especially if you're playing loud sets to sold out crowds, as Numan often did.
It's so bad that it looks like a statistical anomaly. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, professional musicians are nearly four times as likely to lose their hearing. This is due to the repeated and constant exposure to really loud noises.
As well as this, they're more at risk of getting less severe but still frustrating conditions such as ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus.
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Gary Numan Has Had A Rough Few Months
This isn't the first of Gary Numan's strife recently. As reported by NME, he broke down on stage back in November after receiving the "worst news ever".
During a gig in Birmingham, England, he broke down in tears during a heartfelt rendition of his hit "Please Push No More". He paused the set whilst his wife Gemma O'Neill came out to comfort him.
While he shared with fans he had received the "worst news ever", he didn't want to talk about it at the time. But, he later released a statement on social media about the sudden death of his brother.
The caption read that he had the two "hardest" days of his life, but wanted to explain to fans why he was struggling. He revealed that his brother died moments after they had finished hanging out. He explained in the tragic statement that "it will haunt me forever that we may have driven off not knowing that he was lying in a rainy street just yards away."
