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Renowned American singer-songwriter Paul Simon has shared an update on his hearing loss in a recent interview. The father of four, who created the classic hit “The Sound of Silence” along with Art Garfunkel in 1964, first revealed his total hearing impairment in his left year in May 2023.
Simon was compelled to cancel touring after the condition was discovered while he was working on Seven Psalms, his 15th solo studio album last year. However, during a New York premiere of In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, a two-part documentary, the singer revealed that his hearing revived to a considerable extent.
Simon told late-night host Stephen Colbert, who has a complete hearing impairment in his right ear, and was hosting the Q&A session on Wednesday:
“That's come back to enough of a degree that I'm comfortable singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments.”
He continued:
“I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music.”
However, Simon said that he struggles to hear his voice if an electric guitar or a drum is too loud. The singer added:
“But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn’t get, it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side.”
About Paul Simon's four children in the wake of his health updates
The award-winning musician is married to singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, with whom he shares three children — two sons and a daughter. Paul Simon has another son born from his previous marriage with Peggy Harper.
Simon’s eldest son, Harper Simon, followed in his footsteps and has had a music career. Harper also plays the guitar and has contributed to several other artists’ shows and albums. He performed on Go Cat Go!, the last album by rock legend Carl Perkins.
Harper has also worked with Sean Lennon on his album Friendly Fire and accompanied him on a live show. He played the guitar for Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s collaborative Plastic Ono Band on several occasions.
Paul Simon’s eldest son is also a journalist, having conducted interviews for some publications. He is married to Dazed and Confused star Parker Posey.
Paul was married to Carrie Fisher from 1983 to 1984, but they shared no children. His, second son, Adrian Edward Simon, was born in 1992, the same year he tied the knot with Edie Brickell.
Adrian appeared on his father’s seventh solo studio album, Surprise in 2006. He also collaborated with Simon and played on his tours for the album.
After Adrian, Simon and Edie welcomed their daughter Lulu, who also made a name for herself as a singer in recent years.
She released an EP Muscle Memory in 2022, consisting of five tracks. In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Lulu Simon spoke about growing up in a musical family. She said:
“We used to make up songs as we were walking through Central Park, or in the bath.”
Simon and Edie’s youngest son Gabriel Elijah Simon was born in 1998. Unlike his parents and siblings, Gabriel seemingly has not pursued a music career.
Paul Simon on coming to terms with his hearing loss
Paul Simon told Stephen Colbert in Wednesday’s Q&A session that when he first suffered the hearing loss, everything was coming to him from one side. The singer shared that by September 2023, he started coming to terms with his impairment, telling the audience:
“I haven’t accepted it entirely, but I’m beginning to.”
Paul Simon said he plays the guitar every day — an instrument through which he expresses himself creatively and resorts to for solace. He spoke about how having a disability changes one’s awareness or the way one interacts with life.
