Top 10 Musicians with Disabilities

Ludwig van Beethoven (Deafness)

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras of Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. His best-known compositions include nine symphonies, five piano concertos,... read more

Deafness is the enemy of the sense of hearing, and somehow, Beethoven, being the genius he was, overcame it even if he couldn't hear his great masterpieces.

I like this list and your item order: of course, a genius deaf musician and a drummer with one hand should be on top.

Playing the piano is one of the hardest instruments to play. You have to listen to every key of the piano in order to play it, but when a musician is deaf and he is playing piano, he can't listen, then he is more than a musician. That is one of the reasons he is one of the greatest musicians of all time.

José Feliciano (Blindness)

José Montserrate Feliciano García, born on September 10, 1945, is a Puerto Rican guitarist, singer, and composer. He is known for his virtuosic guitar playing and has released numerous albums across a variety of genres. Feliciano is perhaps most famous for his 1968 rendition of Feliz Navidad, which remains... read more

Feliz Navidad! His cover version of Light My Fire, Chico And The Man, and his collaborations with Diane Schur, Debarge (All this Love), and John Lennon give him a special place in music. He has been on the Andy Williams Show and sung together with Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, The Supremes, Bing Crosby, Lani Hall, and many other singers in Spanish and Italian.

Rick Allen (Full arm amputation)

Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen is an English drummer who has been with Def Leppard since 1978. He lost his left arm after a car accident in 1984 but continued to play drums using a custom electronic kit. His perseverance helped inspire fans and fellow musicians alike.... read more

Stevie Wonder (Blindness)

Stevland Hardaway Morris, known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a child prodigy and signed with Motown's Tamla label at age 11. Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards and is known for hits like Superstition and... read more

Ray Charles (Blindness)

Ray Charles Robinson, professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He pioneered soul music during the 1950s by combining blues, jazz, and gospel styles. Charles won 17 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Michael Bolton (Deafness)

Michael Bolotin, known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. He originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres during the 1970s and 1980s, including with the band Blackjack. Bolton achieved mainstream success in the late 1980s and 1990s with a series of... read more

What? I didn't know this! I can't believe it's true...

Tony Iommi (Partial finger amputation)

Anthony Frank Iommi, known as Tony Iommi, is an English guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's best known as the lead guitarist and a founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath. At age 17, he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an industrial accident... read more

He had to tune down his strings to make them easier to bend and invented heavy metal in the process. The irony is that he lost his fingertips in a metal pressing factory. All hail the Godfather of Metal!

Hansi Kürsch (Tinnitus)

Hansi Kürsch (born Hans Jürgen Kürsch on August 10, 1966) is the lead singer, lyricist, co-composer, and former bassist of the German power metal band Blind Guardian. He has cited Freddie Mercury as a major influence and often creates rich, overlapping choir effects by overdubbing his own voice multiple... read more

This is noise in the ears, usually ringing or buzzing, and luckily, sometimes it's music. Tinnitus is a big challenge for a musician, especially a singer - imagine a live show where Hansi sings one song, but in his ears, there's something else. Tinnitus was one of the reasons he wanted to become a guitarist and not a singer. Nevertheless, he's one of the greatest metal singers with some of the best live performances.
Hansi: "Throughout my career, my ears have been the biggest problem. I do have tinnitus, which luckily disappears from time to time but also comes back. Since my ears work differently every day, this is a big challenge for every engineer. Apart from that, I constantly have to struggle with sinuses, which especially on tour can cause severe problems, because of Blind Guardian's rule 'do not cancel a show due to illness'."

Andrea Bocelli (Blindness)

Paul Stanley (Microtia)

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Benjamin Burnley (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome)

Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Breaking Benjamin, which he formed in 1999. The band has released several successful albums and is known... read more

Not a fan of him anymore, but it turns out this is a disease you can get from heavy drinking. This explains why he heavily chewed gum during live performances.

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Jeff Becerra (Paralysis due to spinal cord injury)

Legendary lead singer and bassist of Possessed (death metal pioneers). He was a victim of a failed armed robbery attempt (masked gunmen shot him twice) that left him paralyzed from the chest down and thus bound to a wheelchair. One of the robbers shot him in the chest, which broke through the ribs, shattered the lungs, and is still stuck in the spine.

Casey Harris (Blindness)

He is not as famous as many other musicians here, but when I heard some of his songs and learned that he is blind and plays piano and keyboards, it made me think he deserves more recognition.
You can think of how Beethoven showed his inspiration, and this man has done something similar.

Bret Michaels (Type 1 diabetes)

Bret Michael Sychak, professionally known as Bret Michaels, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and reality television personality. He's best known as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison, which has sold over 45 million records worldwide. Michaels... read more

Wow, I did not know this. He gets us diabetics then, and he's a very good singer.

Django Reinhardt (Two paralyzed fingers)

Django Reinhardt was a famous guitarist in the genre of jazz. He lost the use of two fingers on his left hand in a fire but continued to play, developing a unique style that would influence generations of musicians.

Reinhardt later inspired others, such as Arthur Guitar Boogie Smith, Steven Seagal... read more

Eminem (Autism)

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor, and music producer born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 220 million records, making him the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he was a member of D12 and (with... read more

Selena Gomez (Lupus)

Adam Young (Asperger's syndrome)

Adam Randal Young is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for creating the synthpop/electronica project Owl City. He has also been involved in other music projects including Sky Sailing, Port Blue, Swimming With Dolphins, Seagull Orchestra, and Adam Young Scores.

Brian Wilson (Deafness in one ear)

Edgar Winter (Albinism)

Kenny G (Asthma)

Iggy Pop (Physical deformity)

His right leg is one and a half inches shorter than the other one, and his spine twisted after a fall he took dancing on an amplifier, which left him with a slight limp. He said, "As I began to lose unlimited use of my body, I had to start using my head. I'm a much more remarkable person mentally than physically."