Tinnitus – a permanent whistling or ringing in the ears – isn’t restricted to machinists, construction workers, and highway maintenance people – many a public figure suffers (silently or not) from this often life-affecting condition.
1) Steve Martin
Steve Martin – full name Stephen Glenn Martin – is an American actor who has starred in multiple films including the hit comedy The Three Amigos. He is also a skilled banjo player. The television channel Comedy Central marked Steve 6th in its list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians in 2004.
2) Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg – birth name is Caryn Elaine Johnson – is an American actress, comedian, author, film and television personality. She is open to talking about her ears and their problems.
Whoopi is an inspiring lady who had her big breakthrough in 1985 for her role in the Steven Spielberg film The Color Purple. Whoopi has hearing aids in both ears.
3) Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend is a rock artist from the band The Who. He is completely deaf in one ear and suffers from tinnitus and hearing loss. The British band was at the time known for being one of the hardest and loudest rock bands, so the hearing issues come as no surprise for Pete.
4) Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler originally studied law before turning to the acting profession. He is a Scottish actor and film producer. When he was young, he suffered from tinnitus and had an operation to reduce the symptoms – however, he still has tinnitus to the present day.
5) Chris Martin
Chris Martin is part of the hit band Coldplay. Just like other musicians, Chris developed tinnitus as a result of playing loud music. Chris said about tinnitus in an interview for the Daily Mail: “Looking after your ears is, unfortunately, something you don’t think about until there’s a problem. I wish I’d thought about it earlier”.
6) William Shatner
William Shatner is a Canadian actor, best known for his part in the Star Trek TV series. It’s said that Shatner developed tinnitus on the set of Star Trek by standing too close to the speakers. He has also written a series of books called TekWar.
7) Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and film score composer.
Trent is the founder and lead singer of the band Nine Inch Nails and can be heard singing lyrics about tinnitus that go as follows, “I still recall the taste of your tears. Echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ears.”
8) Bob Dylan
His birth name is Robert Allen Zimmerman and he was born on May 24, 1941. Bob Dylan is yet another singer-songwriter to add to the list of famous names with tinnitus. Yet again he developed the condition thanks to constantly performing loud music.
9) Neil Young
Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He developed tinnitus in the early ’90s and again, like all the others, he developed it due to loud music. For a while, he decided to stop with music before making the album Harvest Moon.
Neil says that he made this because he didn’t want to hear loud sounds. Now in the present day, he still has tinnitus but he’s not as sensitive to loud sounds.
10) Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (born 1947) is the British lead singer of Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He suffered from tinnitus and hearing loss. He also developed this due to playing and being surrounded by loud music daily.
Further reading
For more information about Tinnitus, its diagnosis, symptoms and potential treatments – read our comprehensive guide to the condition.
How can Oakwood Solicitors Ltd help?
Employers have a duty of care to protect you from exposure to noise. If you’ve worked in noisy environments and suffer from hearing loss, your employers (present and past) could be liable for compensation. Our Solicitors will assess your case.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
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Article by Joseph Fieldhouse
