Huey Lewis, the 76-year-old frontman of Huey Lewis and the News, has spoken candidly about how Ménière's disease has left him "basically deaf" and unable to enjoy music.
Speaking on the July 7, 2026, episode of the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, Lewis said,
The LA Times reported on July 10, 2026, that the musician uses a cochlear implant to help him understand speech, but the device distorts musical pitch, making it impossible for him to enjoy listening to music.
Lewis was first diagnosed with Ménière's disease in the mid-1990s, though he publicly announced it in 2018 after losing most of his hearing during a concert in Dallas.
Ménière's disease is a chronic inner ear disorder caused by a buildup of fluid called endolymph in the inner ear, which disrupts hearing and balance signals sent to the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
As noted by Clebeland, some of the more common symptoms include recurrent episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, ear pressure, and progressive hearing loss that can become permanent over time. There is currently no cure, though treatments including medications, lifestyle changes, cochlear implants, and surgery can help manage symptoms.
Consequence reported on July 10, 2026, that Huey Lewis first lost hearing in his right ear roughly 35 years ago and was advised by a specialist to adjust and continue, noting that Jimi Hendrix and Brian Wilson had also performed with hearing in only one ear.
Lewis did so for the next 25 years before his left ear deteriorated as well. Lewis told the podcast that his cochlear implant breaks sound into digital bits, which makes it easier to follow speech but renders music distorted and tuneless. He said,
Huey Lewis told the Inside of You podcast that he has found a new source of joy in fly fishing and time spent in nature. USA Today reported on July 10, 2026, Lewis said,
He also acknowledged an unexpected upside: before his diagnosis, he was performing between 75 and 100 shows a year, and the forced stop has given him experiences and freedom he otherwise would not have had.
Lewis's last studio album with the News, Weather, was released in 2020. Consequence noted that there is some hope for a more comfortable daily life in the form of a fully internal cochlear implant, a device that requires only periodic charging and allows the user to swim and sleep without removal, though Lewis did not indicate whether he was pursuing that option.