According to reports Pete Townshend who wrote the famous line ‘I hope I die before I get old’ has outlived his wish. Currently at the ripe old age of 64, I wonder if he would rather be dead than face the possibility of going deaf. Who concerts are being canceled and rescheduled and one has to ask ‘Was The Who’s 12-minute performance during the Super Bowl halftime show in Miami its last’?

Townshend suffers from tinnitus – a painful ringing of the ears – from years of touring with the legendary rock group. I recall reading when I was a teenager that the Who was the loudest live band of all time according to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not at 126 dB, measured at a distance of 32 meters from the speakers at a concert on 31 May 1976.

‘If my hearing is going to be a problem, we’re not delaying shows, (Townshend told Rolling Stone Magazine), We’re finished.’ The Who was forced to cancel its spring tour and a pair of festival appearances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Coachella due to Townsend’s ear issues. One date – a charity performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall – is still scheduled for this year. Townsend will use this event as a test to determine if it’s time to stop performing.