Stevie Wonder debunks the urban legend of his false blindness in concert.

If you drink, don't make up lies. That's what Stevie Wonder must have thought when he realized that, more than half a century after starting his musical career, there are people who still insist he's lying when he says he's blind. At least he takes it with humor.

During a concert on his 'Love, Light and Song' tour in Cardiff, Wales, the singer mocked the continued existence of the rumor, telling the audience: "I have to tell you all something I've been thinking about: When do I want the world to know? But I wanted to say it right now. You know how there have been rumors about me actually being able to see and all that? Seriously, you're going to find out ."

To the laughter of the audience, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist continued: "The truth is, shortly after I was born, I went blind. Now, that was a blessing because it allowed me to see the world with the vision of truth, with true sight. Which is seeing people in their spirit, not in their appearance. Not what color they are, but what color their spirit is."

At another concert, last Saturday in Hyde Park, the artist made another joke about his blindness. Upon arriving on stage, he wore a white robe with portraits of John Lennon and Marvin Gaye sewn onto either side. Pointing to one of them, Stevie told his fans, "This is Marvin Gaye," but quickly realized he was showing John's face and said, "Sorry, I'm blind," prompting laughter from the large audience.

Wonder has always been a chatty guy when it comes to his blindness. In 2016, while announcing Ed Sheeran's win for Song of the Year at the Grammys, he joked with his stage partner as he opened the envelope: "You can't read it. You can't read Braille. Na-na-na-na-na-na."

During a 2015 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman , he listed the best perks of being blind. “One of them is that you can act like you don’t see anything when you actually do. You can also say you didn’t see something when you did.”

In an interview years ago, the artist stated: "I never thought being blind was a disadvantage, and I never thought being Black was a disadvantage. I am who I am. I love myself just the way I am. And I don't say this selfishly: I love that God allowed me to take what I had and do something with it."

His optimism for life began in his childhood. When discussing his journey with journalist Wesley Morris and Barack Obama in 2024 for The Wonder of Stevie podcast, Wonder said, "I was born. Shortly after, I went blind. My mom went through a lot of different things, so my experience with that was profound. My mom cried every night, and I once told her, 'Mom, you shouldn't cry; you make my head hurt. Maybe God has something bigger for me.'"

Born on May 13, 1950, as Stevland Hardaway Judkins, he adopted the surname Morris from his mother. Born six weeks premature, he suffered a medical complication called retinopathy of prematurity that caused him to completely lose his sight. This forced him to develop a keen musical sense and a special connection with sound.

Raised in a modest Detroit family, he began playing the harmonica, drums, and piano by ear, and was already composing songs by the age of 10. A few months later, he was discovered by Ronnie White of The Miracles, who introduced him to Motown Records president Berry Gordy, who nicknamed him "Little Stevie Wonder" and signed him to his label.

At 13, she released her debut album, 'Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius,' the single "Fingertips (Pt. 2)" being so successful that she became the youngest number one hit in Billboard history. Her rise continued, reaching legendary status with masterpieces like "Talking Book," "Innervisions," "Fulfillingness, First Finale," and "Songs in the Key of Life."

Throughout his career, he has sold more than 100 million records and is one of the most awarded artists in history, with 25 Grammy Awards, including three consecutive ones for Album of the Year (1974, 1975, and 1977), an unprecedented feat. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2014, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.