If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you’re at a point in your life where you may begin to hear constant ringing in your ears and other noises caused by a condition medical professionals refer to as tinnitus. We are now learning that baby boomers who grew up and lived their adult lives listening to loud music are more likely to have this problem than their parents, grandparents, and older generations.

If you don’t think that years of listening to loud music can damage your ears, just look at the list of “veteran” rock musicians who now have constant ringing in their ears and other noises in their ears caused by tinnitus.

Here’s a partial list of rock and roll royalty who have admitted to tinnitus and other hearing problems:

John Entwhistle and Pete Townshend of The Who
Townshend is completely deaf in one ear, a condition caused by the combination of a stage explosion, high-decibel concerts, and loud headphone volume while listening to studio cut playbacks.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood
Fleetwood admitted in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine that “the worst thing in the world is when you find yourself going like Mother Hubbard and cupping your hand behind your ear. I was a big glutton for volume: ‘I have to feel it, I have to listen to it.’ Sooner or later you’re going to pay the reaper.”

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Neil Young, the Yardbirds’ Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Huey Lewis and Bono (U2) have all suffered from tinnitus or other forms of hearing problems during their careers.

Musicians from well-known groups Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and My Bloody Valentine have also lost at least a percentage of their audience over the years.

It’s not just loud music either

Musicians aren’t the only artists and celebrities who suffer from hearing problems.

Both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have hearing problems similar to the tinnitus they suffered during a prop explosion when they were filming an episode of Star Trek in the late 1960s.

Tinnitus has been a problem for actor and comedian Steve Martin, who acquired it while filming a gun shooting scene in “Three Amigos!” in 1986.

Constant ringing in the ears has been a problem for some famous people for a long time, even before they became famous, in some cases.

Barbra Streisand has attributed her volatile temper to tinnitus she has had since she was seven years old, according to various news reports.

Actress Morgan Fairchild had scarlet fever when she was very young. She says that she also had many kidney infections and ear infections as a child, which she believes caused her to become partially deaf.

Ear noises likely to have been caused by tinnitus have affected many other famous people as well, including the late ABC journalist Peter Jennings, broadcaster Larry King, actor Richard Thomas, and Presidents Bill Clinton and the late Ronald Reagan. .

Having tinnitus is not an indication that you will lose your hearing completely. But if you hear constant ringing in your ears, or noises in your ears like ringing, buzzing, hissing, hissing, or any sound that shouldn’t be there, you should definitely make an appointment to have your hearing tested ASAP. possible. .