The Jewish singer-songwriter Paul Simon has said he is beginning to accept his sudden, almost-complete, hearing loss in one ear.

The 81-year-old Simon and Garfunkel star revealed in May that he was experiencing hearing loss in his left ear. Since then, there has been no improvement in his hearing, he has said.

The Hollywood Reporter quoted him telling an audience at the Toronto International Film Festival: “I haven’t accepted it entirely, but I’m beginning to."

Famous for songs including Bridge Over Troubled Water and You Can Call Me Al, Simon has said the hearing loss - which could not be explained - has affected his ability to tour his 15th solo album Seven Psalms, released in May.

Typically, after releasing an album, he would go on the road “to really investigate the piece. And then it evolves to another standard, and goes further,” Simon said. 

However, he is soon going to work alongside guitarists to find a way to make live performing easier: “A week from now I’m going to try and work with two guitarists who will play the parts that I played on the record, and see if I can sing the piece. I’m not sure how I can integrate my voice with the guitars,” he said.

The musician opened up about his experience during a question and answer session at the world premiere of a new documentary, In Restless Dreams: the Music of Paul Simon, on Sunday.

Since he is used to playing the guitar every day, the condition has also affected his ability to express himself creatively: “[The guitar is] where I go for solace. If I’m feeling… ‘whatever’. So it’s a very crucial thing to me. You know, something happens to you when you have some sort of disability that changes your awareness or changes how you interact with life.”

Other musicians have talked recently about their experience with hearing loss.

Zak Abel told the JC this summer that an operation to fix his otosclerosis “terrified” him. “The thing that I was scared of the most was not being able to make music again.”

Research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine and the BMJf ound that professional musicians are almost four times more likely to develop noise-induced hearing loss as a result of their work.

A separate survey by UK charity Help Musicians showed that 40 per cent of professional musicians have experienced hearing loss.