10 Musicians Who RUINED Their Voice

10-Musicians-Who-RUINED-Their-Voice

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be discussing singers whose voices changed for the worse over time due to bad habits, personal choices or medical issues.

Robert Plant

The vocal stylings of Robert Plant were hugely influential upon the development of heavy metal. The Led Zeppelin frontman possessed a caterwauling wail that howled at the heavens, with little regard for personal safety. Zeppelin’s demanding tour schedule, combined with Plant’s nicotine habit and reported lack of warm-ups resulted in his voice entering a sharp decline. The lack of backing vocals in Led Zeppelin didn’t help things, and later albums were defined by Plant’s less-demanding style. Plant’s solo career would see even less reliance upon his higher register, although fans could argue this wasn’t a bad thing. This just meant that a more intimate, bluesier and perhaps even folky Robert Plant left the 1970s in his rear-view mirror.

Axl Rose

The world of 1980s hard rock and heavy metal was one that featured high, powerful voices. Axl Rose remains one of the best and most defining singers from this era, although a career of singing at this elite level has taken its toll. The man’s on-stage performances today are still impressive, and often see Rose sprinting across a stage while singing. That said, stories of consistency in the live arena have differed, while Rose’s storied power and range as a singer has fluctuated since his earliest years with Guns N’ Roses.

John Mayer

It’s not out of the ordinary for a professional musician to find new ways of expressing themselves vocally. This goes double after instances of surgery, such as the one John Mayer went through after being diagnosed with vocal granuloma in 2011. These non-cancerous folds usually grow in the back of the throat, after long periods of irritation or improper singing. Mayer, to his credit, took the diagnosis in stride, while confiding to Rolling Stone about how he was forced to creatively pivot. Thankfully for the guitarist and singer, his fan base seems to have welcomed the “new” John Mayer with open arms.

Joni Mitchell

It’s funny how the human body works. Some singers, such as Motörhead’s Lemmy, were defined by his smokey, whiskey-fueled voice. Others, such as Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate or King Diamond, sang extraordinarily high, while still retaining their smoking habit. Joni Mitchell’s light and graceful voice from the 1960s and ‘70s largely suffered from her nicotine habit, which diminished her dulcet tones in a huge way. This, of course, takes nothing away from Mitchell’s talent as a songwriter, arranger and lyricist. Her modern-era live performances are a long way removed from her hippie heyday, however.

Elton John

They’re the bane of every singer’s existence: vocal nodules. These white masses usually appear on or near the vocal cords, and come about due to a number of reasons. Stress, improper technique, abuse and a lack of rest can all contribute to nodule development, and they can permanently derail a vocalist’s career. Elton John developed vocal nodules after touring extensively during the mid-eighties, and required surgery to remove them from his larynx. John’s case was a bit different, however, as the famous piano man was pleasantly surprised with how he could now achieve a lower, deeper and more resonant register…albeit at the cost of some upper high notes.

Stevie Nicks

Technically speaking, Stevie Nicks never had the greatest voice in the world. Then again, who really cares about technicality when you have the emotional resonance, magnetism and charm of Nicks’ breathy, intimate voice? This generational mystic woman could sing us the alphabet, and we wouldn’t care. However, years of substance use definitely contributed to Nicks’ voice becoming raspy over the years, to the point where it was even parodied on “South Park.” A similar situation occurred with Nicks’ bandmate and former partner Lindsay Buckingam, whose vocal cords were damaged after the guitarist underwent heart surgery.

Julie Andrews

The story of what happened to Julie Andrews may be the most tragic on this list. This generational actress and singer was starring in “Victor/Victoria” on Broadway, when she noticed a hoarseness in her voice. Andrews underwent surgery to remove benign vocal nodules, but something went wrong. The singer had previously possessed a powerful, four octave range, yet the botched medical procedure resulted in damage that’s never been repaired. Andrews would sue doctors at Mount Sinai for malpractice, blaming their mistakes for her now-raspy voice and inability to sing at the elite level for which she’d been known.

Adele

One of the good things about vocal nodules is that they’re treatable, sometimes with surgery, and other times changing up one’s diet and routine. The voice of Adele is known far and wide for its immense power. However, the singer went under the knife in 2011 to remove some nodules that had developed. Part of Adele’s after-care treatment was to avoid tomatoes, since these vegetables have been known to promote acid reflux in many people. The vocalist has since joked about this new regimen, opining about the fact that she can no longer eat pizza.

Whitney Houston

It was the voice of a generation, and one that many desperately wish was still around today. Whitney Houston may be gone, but her legacy will live on forever. That said, her legendary power as a vocalist didn’t come without cost, since some music critics have pointed out how Houston often oversang. This combination of physical exertion and a challenging schedule, combined with Houston’s unfortunate struggles with substances, led to a sharp decline in her abilities. This decline thankfully hasn’t defined Whitney Houston, however, with most fans remembering how special this voice was at its creative peak.

Steven Tyler

Speaking of oversinging, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will always be known for his inimitable wail. This classic rock singer could belt it out with the best of them, but it was this frequent over-exertion that led to Tyler bursting a blood vessel in his throat back in 2006. Surgery would eventually get Tyler back performing again, up on the stage. However, a fast forward to 2023 saw Aerosmith postponing concert dates to the next year after Tyler suffered a fractured larynx. Unfortunately, the band broke the news of their retirement in August 2024, citing the inability to fully heal Tyler’s vocal injury, and the cancelation of the rescheduled dates of their Peaceout Farewell tour.

Does it matter to you if a favorite singer’s voice changes over the years? Let us know in the comments!