Unlike the world, hearing loss doesn’t discriminate — by age, gender, race, fame or wealth. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 World Report on Hearing, 1.16 billion of the 1.50 billion people who have hearing loss have mild severity. We see there are a lot of famous personalities and Indian celebrities with hearing loss. However, they have managed to find ways to accept and cope with it, and not let the disability stop them from being successful.
Let’s take a look at a few such people who have defeated hearing loss and built normal lives, doing what they love. Hopefully, these people will inspire you not to let hearing loss or any other impairment hold you back!
Here Are 10 Famous Personalities Who Succeeded Irrespective Of Their Hearing Loss
Apart from Indian celebrities with hearing loss, here are 10 famous personalities who did not shy away from taking help for their hearing loss and continued doing what they loved!
1. Bill Clinton
Former U.S. President Clinton’s high-frequency hearing deficiency, the most common form of hearing loss, was diagnosed during a routine physical check-up. Clinton, like many with hearing loss, ignored his hearing difficulties for years until the diagnosis, highlighting the importance of annual hearing checks, especially after the age of 40. Clinton now wears two in-canal hearing aids.
Sufferers of high-frequency hearing loss describe the condition as an inability to distinguish sounds in noisy, crowded situations with a lot of background chatter.
It is essential to consult your local audiologist about the frequency of your hearing checks. After all, hearing health is as important as your overall health.
2. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American actress, comedian, author and television host. She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar. Goldberg wears hearing aids in both ears and believes her hearing loss is due to consistently listening to very loud music in the past. This is one of the lifestyle habits dangerous to our ears.
3. Halle Berry
Halle Maria Berry is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002. The actress has an 80% hearing loss in her left ear, caused by being hit in the head by her boyfriend. Head trauma is one of the factors that could lead to hearing loss.
4. Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. is an American actor, director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, and philanthropist. Redford suffered from a severe ear infection that led to 60% hearing loss in one ear in 2013 when he insisted on performing his own water stunts while shooting a movie in the Indian Ocean.
5. Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster is an American actress and filmmaker who has worked in several films, as well as on television. Foster has spoken about her hearing loss and been photographed wearing a hearing aid.
6. Eric Clapton
Underscoring the need for hearing protection during live music, the legendary musician developed hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears as a result of years of performing at music concerts.
Music, whether listened to live or through your headphones, can be damaging if it is too loud and is being listened to for a long time. Custom hearing protection, such as musicians’ earplugs, from your local audiologist, help you enjoy your music safely.
7. Gerard Butler
The Scottish star of 300 and many other film and stage productions, Gerard Butler underwent surgery as a child that left his right ear physically deformed. He suffers from lifelong tinnitus and hearing loss in that ear, which he says is responsible for his smile appearing crooked in photos. However, his condition did not prevent him from starring in the film version of the musical Phantom of the Opera and belting out the titular character’s bombastic rock-star anthems.
8. Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer.
She was the first hearing and visually impaired person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Helen proved to the world that deaf people could learn to communicate and that they could survive in the hearing world. She also taught that deaf people are capable of doing things that hearing people can do. She is one of the most famous deaf people in history and an idol to many deaf people in the world.
9. Thomas Edison
The famous inventor experienced hearing loss in both ears from the age of 12. Both, his father and his son also experienced hearing loss, suggesting they had what is called congenital hearing loss.
10. Ludwig Van Beethoven
Yes, that’s right — one of the world’s most famous musicians and composers had hearing loss. He began losing his hearing when he was in his 30s, and he experienced tinnitus as well. The cause of his hearing loss is unknown, but it is believed that an illness and/or lead poisoning was the culprit.
Not all these famous personalities or Indian celebrities with hearing loss may have had access to hearing aids and other solutions for hearing loss. As hearing aids and communication technology continue to advance, more wireless products are available to help you hear better in many different life situations. Have you heard about these innovative hearing aids? Whether it’s Bluetooth® devices that connect your cell phone to your hearing aids or wireless TV connectors that allow you to watch movies at a comfortable volume, hearing aid technology has come a long way since Beethoven.
Don’t strain yourself to hear anymore – take some inspiration from these famous personalities and seek help for your hearing woes! At Centre For Hearing, we provide the most comprehensive diagnostic facilities and the latest technology in hearing aids.
Call us on +91 9811227269 for a FREE CONSULTATION!
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