Stevie Wonder has addressed the bizarre rumors floating around about his blindness, describing his sight issues as a ‘blessing’.
The 75-year-old opened up about his health while performing in Cardiff last week, during his Love, Light and Song tour – ahead of his electrifying stint at London’s BST Hyde Park on Saturday.
Appearing on stage in the Welsh capital, the Isn’t She Lovely singer took a moment to speak out against claims that he can actually see.
‘I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, “When did I want to let the world know this?” But I wanted to say it right now,’ he began in footage making the sounds on social media.
‘You know there have been rumors about me seeing and all that,’ he continued, to laughter from the crowd. ‘But seriously, you know the truth.
‘The truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it has allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight. See people in the spirit of them, not how they look.
‘Not what color they are, but what color is their spirit?’
Stevie was born premature and went blind shortly after – he was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) at six weeks old, due to too much oxygen in his incubator.
According to the Mayo Clinic, this occurs when blood vessels ‘swell and grow too much in the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye’.
The overgrown vessels can sometimes slowly scar the retina and pull it out of place, causing retinal detachment, which can ‘harm vision and cause blindness’.
He found his passion for music at an early age and began releasing albums in the 60s, and went on to become one of the best-selling artists in history – thanks to hits including Superstition, Part-Time Lover, I Just Called To Say I Love You and Signed, Sealed, Delivered among many others.
Last year, he made a rare comment about his childhood while recording the Wonder of Stevie audiobook series with Wesley Morris and President Barack Obama.
‘I was born. Shortly after that, I’m blind,’ he said at the time. ‘My mother went through the different things, and so my experience with that was deep.’
He recalled hearing his mom cry ‘every night’, until he told her: ‘Mama, you shouldn’t cry, you’re making my head hurt.
‘And I said, “Maybe God has something for me that’s bigger than all this”.
‘History proved that true.’
Stevie has faced scrutiny over his sight many times over the years, with his fellow celebrities making light of the speculation.
Appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show in 2019, Lionel Richie joked: ‘I’m going to tell you something – I’ve been spending my whole life with him thinking, “He can see, I know he can see.”
‘I went to his house. He says, “Wanna hear a new song? I’ve got it in the car. Come on, go with me.”’
He shared that his pal sat in the driver’s seat, ‘cranked the car up, put the tape in … and starts driving back down the driveway’.
‘I screamed, “Stevie! What are you doing?” And he said, “Ah, got you, didn’t I?”’
In 2016, Anthony Anderson also unpacked his friendship with Stevie during an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Questioned on whether he once challenged Stevie to a charity basketball game, the Blackish actor quipped: ‘I did… What y’all don’t know is, Stevie can see. It’s just an act.
‘I’m telling you, have him on the show! Put stuff in his way, I bet you he’ll step over it.’
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