Andrea Bocelli is one of the most renowned living tenors. Bocelli’s fame began in 1992. Zucchero Fornaciari requested that he record a demo of “Miserere”. Pavarotti was astonished by Bocelli’s vocals and the two became companions.
What Caused His Blindness?
He was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma at 5 months old. The singer became permanently blind at age 12, after a football accident. He was hit hard and endured a brain hemorrhage. Consequently, Bocelli learned music through Braille.
According to Telegraph, Bocelli explained, “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.”
“As a child, I was very lively and uncontrollable, I loved playing football, and one day during a match, I was hit violently in the face with a ball on my right eye, the only one which I could see light and color with.”
The doctors tried many different methods to help. Bocelli explained, “The doctors tried to cure me with various operations and they even used leeches but there was nothing that could be done.”
Nevertheless, he has never let his hardships define him or set him back. Currently, Bocelli has sold over 24.3 million albums in the United States.
Sources:
- Main Image: Andrea Bocelli [Instagram]
