’80s Music Icon Huey Lewis Debuting New Broadway Show Despite Hearing Loss
Huey Lewis, best known for being part of the group Huey Lewis and the News, admitted that his latest musical saved his life. His new Broadway musical called The Heart of Rock and Roll features some of his most iconic songs and will debut on April 22, 2024. Lewis helped work on the show despite dealing with some tough hearing loss problems.
Remind In 2018, Lewis was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease, an inner ear problem that can cause vertigo and hearing loss. At the time, he was on tour with his band and had to cancel the remaining tour dates due to his problems with hearing. Subsequently, this caused him to suffer from some mental health issues as there is currently no cure for the disease.
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He revealed, “This [diagnosis] has ruined everything. This has absolutely ruined everything. I try not to let it get me down. In the first two months of this, I was suicidal. I can honestly share that with you. I thought, ‘S—, I’m just going to commit suicide.’ I actually contemplated my demise. You know, like pills, I figured pills were the easiest way to go. I mean, would I have? I don’t know.”
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Now, six years later, he said, “As best you can. You remind yourself there are lots of people out there much worse off than I am. I have two great children who won’t let me feel sorry for myself. And the musical has been huge therapy for me.” As much as fans hope to see Lewis in the musical, it just isn’t possible. He said that he can’t hear pitch good enough anymore despite trying to get back onstage.
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Lewis explained, “I can sing. But I can’t sing to anything. I can’t hear pitch. A bass part sounds like (he imitates what sounds like a hurricane of turntable scratching). It’s all distorted. I can hear there’s music going on. But I can’t hear what it is. When you play a song on a boombox, I can’t tell you what’s on it. I can hear the beat. But I literally can’t recognize my own songs.” The show will premiere at the James Earl Jones Theater in New York City. Will you purchase tickets? Get a sneak peek here:
1950s Musicals
November 2020
Bright and brassy, toe-tapping musicals from the 1950s
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