AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has claimed that his hearing loss, which has seen his band’s latest tour cancelled, has been caused by racing cars and not by loud music.

Johnson, a well-known petrolhead who’s previously appeared on Top Gear and presented his own car shows, has openly discussed his increasing difficulty hearing for several years now.

Back in 2014, he told American radio presenter Howard Stern that rock and roll wasn’t entirely to blame, but rather sitting in powerful cars for too long without ear plugs.

'I didn't get it from music'

He said: “I’ve obviously had some hearing loss. I’ve got hearing loss in me left ear. I didn’t get it from music. I got it from sitting in a race car too long without ear plugs.

“I heard my ear drum burst, because I forgot to put me plugs in under my helmet. That’s how it happened. Music had nothing to do with it.”

He noted that the inner-ear damage left him dizzy, and when he removed his helmet he found blood inside it, though in the same interview he claimed that at the time the damage didn’t faze him.

Notable car collector

Describing it as “just like a tininess, like tinnitus or something”, Johnson claimed to have forgotten about it mere days after the incident occurred, but the problem seems to have increased since.

AC/DC announced that they would postpone their remaining US tour dates after doctors told Johnson that he risked total hearing loss if he continued to perform with the band.

A notable car collector, just some of the machines owned by Johnson include a Ferrari 458 Italia, a 1965 Lola T70 Mark and the original Bond car, the Bentley 4.5 Litre Blower.