Elton John revealed on his social media Tuesday that he has spent the summer “quietly recuperating at hoime” from “a severe eye infection” that has left him with limited sight in the impacted eye.
The announcement comes just three days before John is set to appear in public at the premiere of a documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival. John’s rep tells Variety that he will still be in Toronto for the Sept. 6 unveiling of “Elton John: Never Too Late,” as planned.
“Over the summer,” John wrote in his social post, “I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye. I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks.
“I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home,” he continued, “and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recover thus far.” He signed the message “with love and gratitude.”
The documentary, which will go wide to the public on Disney+ i December, is described in the TIFF program notes as “a portrait of the artist as he looks back on his life and forward to a climactic farewell show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium… Weaving together intimate interviews with never-before-seen archival footage and photographs, Cutler and Furnish slowly reveal the megastar, from his prodigious childhood talent, through all his self-doubts and demons, to where he has landed today. ‘This is where you start to think about mortality,’ the 77-year-old says, and it proves to be a powerful motivator to take stock.”
John was also known to have been on the mend earlier this year from knee replacement surgery.
The superstar has other projects or appearances waiting in the wings. On the live front, although he is retired from touring, he is still doing one-off appearances, mostly at benefits, and is scheduled to perform Oct. 22 in Los Angeles at the annual Spirit of Life Gala for the City of Hope’s cancer research, this year honoring Jay Marciano.
The Elton-loving world is also awaiting any official news of the album he is believed to have recorded with Brandi Carlile, which was described by his friend Pete Townshend as having been recorded late last year. Little word has gotten out about the mystery project in the months since.
Source Agencies
