John Mellencamp says his hearing is failing so badly he could be completely deaf by the end of his next tour.
At 75, the rock singer revealed his worsening hearing during a recent “Nepo, Baby!” podcast appearance, but said he has no plans to quit performing.
“I don’t like going out ‘cause I can’t hear,” he told the podcast, noting that busy public settings make communication impossible.
He described constant ringing and pulsatile tinnitus, a condition that makes him hear his heartbeat, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“My ears ring nonstop and I hear my pulse,” he said. “In a restaurant I just walk out because I can’t hear anything over the noise.”
Mellencamp’s resistance to hearing aids stems from his grandmother’s warning that they are a lifelong burden, he recalled.
“She told me, ‘If glasses are a hassle, wait until you need glasses and hearing aids too,’ he added.
He did not name a definitive medical cause, but years of exposure to loud stage volumes likely contributed, a common risk for rock musicians.
“I’ll probably be totally deaf by the time the tour ends,” he said, acknowledging the severity of his condition.
His last tour ran from July 10 to Aug. 12, and no new dates have been announced.
Rise to Fame
Best known for “Jack & Diane,” “Pink Houses,” and “Hurts So Good,” Mellencamp burst onto the scene in the early 1980s, blending heartland rock with stories of working‑class life.
His 1982 album “American Fool” topped the U.S. charts and earned him a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
