Adele 'Facing Long Road Back' After Diva Developed Ear Infection so Agonizing it Left Her Wanting to Chop It Off
Nov. 19 2024, Published 6:22 p.m. ET
British songbird Adele has been grounded by an agonizing middle ear infection that's made her deaf in one ear as doctors warn the bug may spread to her throat and destroy her singing voice while triggering severe vertigo, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A music industry insider said: "This is Adele's worst nightmare. Her multi-octave voice is everything to her, so this infection can affect her entire career."
The 36-year-old “Rolling in the Deep” hitmaker recently revealed she went partially deaf while battling the stubborn bacterial infection – known as otitis media – described the pain as "worse than childbirth".
She said: "It's very hard to treat. I was on the wrong antibiotics for a few days, and they managed to give me one that started to work.
"I wanted to chop my ear off a few times... I'm no longer in pain, which is great, but I'm a bit deaf in my left ear."
Renowned New York internist Dr. Stuart Fischer told RadarOnline the “Easy on Me” singer is far from out of the woods because otitis media can easily resurface.
He said: "It's difficult to figure out which one of several possible bacteria is causing the condition because it's behind the ear drum and the doctor can't see it. It is a challenge to determine which antibiotic to prescribe.
"If not properly treated, otitis media can go down into the throat and you get tonsillitis. For a singer, this could be incapacitating."
Fischer added the infection can also spread to the inner ear and cause severe vertigo.
He further explained: "Somebody with an inner ear infection looks tipsy despite not being drunk. It's almost like they are on a ship at sea."
This is just the latest health woe to impact the 16-time Grammy winner. In February, she stunned fans by abruptly canceling her Weekends with Adele at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas after an undisclosed ailment impaired her ability to sing.
She announced on social media: "Sadly, I have to take a beat and pause my Vegas residency.
"I was sick at the end of the last leg and all the way through my break... now I'm sick again, and unfortunately it's all taken a toll on my voice."
Back in 2013, Adele developed a fungal skin infection while performing under the hot lights at Caesars Palace.
The music industry source said: "All of these problems are ongoing. The fear is together they will bring the final curtain down on Adele's career.
"She's already announced she'll take a long break from performing after her November 23 concert."
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