Renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli, featured in the John Lewis advertisement, endured a tragic childhood accident which resulted in complete blindness

 

This year’s heartwarming John Lewis Christmas advertisement has been officially unveiled today. It features Snappy the Venus flytrap and showcases the renowned opera legend Andrea Bocelli singing a joyful soundtrack. In this emotionally stirring campaign, the 65-year-old singer performs the song ‘Festa’, which translates to ‘celebration’, a piece written and produced by the artist Le Feste Antonacci.

The song will soon be released in an extended version as a charity single, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to charitable causes. Andrea expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful and distinctive Christmas tradition of storytelling. It holds great significance for me, considering the substantial support it will provide to both the John Lewis and Andrea Bocelli foundations. Wishing joy to all of your worlds this Christmas!”

Andrea was born with impaired vision and diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. Much of his early childhood was spent in hospital, where medical professionals were able to preserve around 10 percent of his sight in one eye. As an infant, Andrea found solace in music, and his mother, Edi Bocelli, would play records to soothe him. He once shared: “When I was five, my mother discovered that the only way to comfort me with my glaucoma was to play classical music on the record player.”

At the age of six, he began piano lessons and went on to learn the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums. By the time he was seven, he was determined to become an opera singer and would listen to Franco Corelli repeatedly. However, at the age of 12, tragedy struck when Andrea lost his sight entirely in a football accident. He was struck in the eye while playing goalkeeper during a match, which resulted in a brain haemorrhage.

“I was hit violently in the face with a ball on my right eye, the only one which I could see light and colour with,” he recounted during an interview in 2017. “The doctors tried to cure me with various operations… but there was nothing that could be done.” In a last-ditch attempt to restore his sight, medical professionals attempted to use leeches to improve blood flow, but their efforts were in vain, and Andrea remained blind. He taught himself to read music in Braille and continued to engage in activities such as horse riding and cycling.

“The fact that I am blind is not what defines my life,” Andrea stated. “People wonder if there is a relationship between my lack of sight and the way I sing. But there’s no connection.” At the age of 14, Andrea secured his first victory in a singing competition in Viareggio, Italy. While studying law at the University of Pisa, he performed in piano bars to support himself financially. He is now the world’s most adored tenor and the most accomplished classical artist in history.