Andrea Bocelli has been proving that his loss of vision can never stop him from being a great tenor.
Recently, fans of Bocelli have been sharing that they did not know about the singer's condition. Some only learned about it after he announced the interruption of his official world tour to join a fundraising concert in the Cayman Islands in February.
As people love him even more because of his story, here's how the famed tenor experienced sight loss.
How Did Andrew Bocelli Get Blind?
The "The Prayer" hitmaker, before becoming one of the greatest musicians in the world, started showing his love for music when he was six. He took piano lessons before trying flute and saxophone. Amid his love for music, he and his family were also enduring the struggles of his congenital glaucoma diagnosis.
"When I was five my mother discovered that the only way to comfort me with my glaucoma, was to play classical music on the record player," he said in his interviews, per Classic FM.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, congenital glaucoma presents in children below 4 years old. The 2013 International Classification System for Childhood Glaucoma said that the condition is irreversible due to the elasticity of the organ in young children.
Initially, the doctors managed to save 10 percent of the sight in his one eye. Bocelli, however, totally became totally blind when he was 12 after suffering a brain hemorrhage following a soccer accident.
In his autobiography, "The Music of Silence," he recalled getting hit violently in the face with a ball on the right eye. At that time, that was the only eye which he could see light and color with.
Despite completely losing his eyesight, Bocelli made his way into the music industry and received several honors and awards.
In 2006, he was officially made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He also received the Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella honor in 2009 for his unmatched contribution.
A year later, he got his star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2022, Serbia Aleksandar Vučić gave him a gold medal for Merit.
Among Bocelli's studio albums include "Il Mare Calmo della Sera," "Aria: The Opera Album," "Cieli di Toscana," "Amore," "My Christmas," "Passione," "Sì," and "Believe."
With all the recognition he got, Bocelli ultimately proved that his condition would never stop him from sharing his abilities and talents with the public.
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