AC/DC's Brian Johnson opens up about hearing loss: 'I risked total deafness'

AC/DC's lead singer Brian Johnson is opening up about the hearing loss scare that caused him to stop touring. 

He announced last month that he was quitting the band's "Rock or Bust" tour. And in a new statement Tuesday, Johnson said he wants "personally to explain" why he quit. 

"On March 7th, after a series of examinations by leading physicians in the field of hearing loss, I was advised that if I continue to perform at large venues, I risked total deafness," he said.

"While I was horrified at the reality of the news that day, I had for a time become aware that my partial hearing loss was beginning to interfere with my performance on stage."

The band recently announced that Axl Rose will now take Johnson's place for the tour. 

Johnson continued, sharing that he was "having difficulty" hearing guitars or other musicians onstage and was afraid it would affect the quality of his performance. March 7 was the "darkest day of my professional life," he added. 

"For the near future, I will be unable to perform on stage at arena and stadium size venues where the sound levels are beyond my current tolerance, without the risk of substantial hearing loss and possibly total deafness. Until that time, I tried as best as I could to continue despite the pain and hearing loss but it all became too much to bear and too much to risk."

However, he's not fully retiring. Doctors said he can still record music in studios and he fully plans on doing that, he said. 

"I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances," he continued. "While the outcome is uncertain, my attitude is optimistic. Only time will tell."

You can read the full statement on Rolling Stone. 

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