Huey Lewis says he's lost most of his hearing: 'I can't hear music well enough to sing'

Maria Puente | USA TODAY

Huey Lewis shared the bad news Friday: He's canceling all of his 2018 performances because he can't hear properly due to Meniere's disease.

“Two and a half months ago, just before a show in Dallas, I lost most of my hearing,” Lewis said on the Huey Lewis and the News band Twitter account. “I can’t hear music well enough to sing. The lower frequencies distort violently making it impossible to find pitch.”

Huey Lewis and The News cancel all 2018 performances. See attached note from Huey. pic.twitter.com/FbWqDlGwnR — Huey Lewis (@Huey_Lewis_News) April 13, 2018

Lewis, 67, said he's been to several major ear specialists, including the Mayo Clinic, looking for answers. He said his doctors believe he has Meniere's disease, a chronic condition of the inner ear for which there is no cure.

"The doctors...have agreed that I can't perform until I improve," he wrote in the tweet. "Therefore the only prudent thing to do is to cancel all future shows. Needless to say I feel horrible about this."

He apologized and promised to concentrate on getting better. He said he hoped that "one day soon I'll be able to perform again."

According to online websites on ear diseases, Meniere's can cause pressure or pain in the ear, severe cases of dizziness or vertigo, hearing loss and a ringing or roaring noise known as tinnitus.

People with Meniere's will have sudden dizzy spells after experiencing tinnitus or muffled hearing, although symptoms can vary. Some people will experience many attacks over a period of several days, and others will have an isolated attack every once in awhile.

It's a somewhat mysterious condition, often the result of a viral infection. Most people suffer hearing loss in only one ear, and if it's caught early it can be treated.

Other musicians and singers who have experienced the disease include Ryan Adams, who was forced to take a two-year break from music starting in 2009 due to the disease, Broadway musical superstar Kristin Chenoweth, and rapper Foxy Brown, who talked about it to People in 2005.

“I have been deaf for four months,” said Brown, then 26, whose real name is Inga Marchand. She said she regretted not acting sooner when she felt her hearing “slipping away,” and sought to help others by speaking out.