The Who’s longtime frontman Roger Daltrey has shared details of his health battles with a live audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The Sun newspaper reports that the veteran rocker spoke to fans from the stage and told them: 

“The joys of getting old mean you go deaf, I also now have got the joy of going blind. 

“Fortunately I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy.” 

He was referring to Tommy, the title of the band’s 1969 rock opera album, which follows the story of Tommy Walker, an army soldier who later becomes deaf, dumb and blind. 

Daltrey previously announced onstage in 2018 that he had suffered hearing loss as a result of exposure to loud noise levels during music performances and was now “very, very deaf.” He urged audience members to use earplugs.

Daltrey formed The Who in 1964, with songwriter Pete Townshend who still performs alongside him. At the same concert, Townshend joked about his knee replacement, saying: “Maybe I should auction off the old one. Elton John had one done, and he wears his as a bracelet. Unfortunately, mine’s in three bits.” 

The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Former band members include John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. They are cited as a formative influence on many rock bands of the 20th century, with their innovative use of the Marshall stack system and incorporating synthesisers into their production. They have sold an estimated 43 albums worldwide in their 60-year run.