Eric Clapton Reveals He Is Going Deaf

Eric Clapton has revealed he's going deaf and struggling with tinnitus, in addition to the nerve system damage he's already been dealing with the last couple of years. In an interview on the BBC Radio 2 program Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Clapton opened up about his health issues in response to a question about his plans for 2018.

"The only thing I'm concerned with now is being in my seventies and being able to be proficient," he said. "I mean I'm going deaf, I've got tinnitus, my hands just about work."

"It's amazing, to myself, that I'm still here."

Clapton was on the program to promote Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, a Showtime documentary about his life and career that is set to premiere February 10. The film examines the guitarist's life and career through his own words and music, in addition to interviews with his family, friends, musical contemporaries and heroes, including the late B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison.

You can listen to the full interview—during which Clapton also opens up about his struggle with alcoholism and reveals he has a show at London's Hyde Park planned for this summer, despite his health struggles—here.