EXCLUSIVE: Blind and Frail Elton John Hit by Devastating Double Whammy of Eyesight Loss and Broadway Flop — 'It's a Sad End for Him'
Music great Elton John has been left "bereft" after his new $25m Broadway musical became a Crocodile Flop after it was panned by critics and theater-goers.
And he's now having to come to terms with being almost blind in yet another health blow to the crooner, RadarOnline.com can reveal
The Crocodile Rock singer's Tammy Faye posted its closing notice only five days after opening night. The show — which had been well received in the UK before transferring to New York — takes its final bow on December 8.
The New York Post described the play as "God-awful". Tickets are now being offered for as little as $61 after being originally being sold for more than $200.
And a source close to John, who has admitted he doesn't "have long left" after a series of devastating health blows, has revealed that he has confessed to pals that he fears he's "lost his touch" at the age of 77.
He told us: "Elton is utterly bereft. He feels like he's somehow lost his touch and is wondering if he'll ever compose another theaterland winner. On top of that, he's battling with the realization that he doesn't have too many more trips around the sun as his health continues to deteriorate. It is a double whammy for him with the blindness and a real sad end."
John has revealed that he is blind in his right eye after an infection caused him to lose his vision as he explained: "I can’t see anything."
He contracted an infection over the summer and now confesses that he's struggling to be productive.
In an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, he said: "I unfortunately lost my eye sight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France."
The superstar added: "It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. My left eye is not the greatest. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. I just have to get off my backside."
It is an appalling downward spiral for the composer of the ongoing smash The Lion King and the Tony-winning hit Billy Elliot: The Musical.
The New York Post reviewer added: "At the same time, nobody around Broadway is all that surprised. The Rocket Man keeps crashing down, over and over again.
- Sad Sir Elton John, 77, Admits Death Fears After We Revealed He's 'Crippled, Blind and Incontinent': 'I Don't Know How Much Time I Have Left'
- Not Still Standing! Crocked Elton John's Agonizing Last Days — Rocker 'Crippled and Blind'... But 'Battling to Save Face With Wacky Wheelchairs'
- Empty John: 'Dying' Rocketman Elton Tragically Confesses He's Had So Many Organs Ripped Out in Secret Surgeries 'Only My Left Hip is Left'
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"Since Billy premiered in London’s West End in 2005, John has delivered dud after dud. First, there was the $12 million vampire debacle Lestat, based on Anne Rice’s novels, in 2006.
"Musicals about the undead never work. Just ask Dance of the Vampires star Michael Crawford.
"Lestat's best song, believe it or not, was when little Claudia sang I Want More about her new appetite for blood. The mega-flop closed after 39 performances.
"And then in 2022, his Devil Wears Prada face-planted on the runway during its Chicago tryout. New York critics descended on the Windy City like Fashion Week. I called the wreckage 'a haute mess' and the Times said, 'Nothing fits'.
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"At a media event for Tammy Faye in March at Hudson Yards, John told me he wholeheartedly agreed with my one-star review of Prada.
"Come to think of it, at that Tammy Faye presser, he had very little to say about, um, Tammy Faye. That should’ve been a red flag.
"John has a well-known habit of handing off his scores, and then not being too involved in the demanding production process due to his touring schedule. He also lives in London with his husband (and Tammy producer) David Furnish and their two children."
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