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If you’re in your 50s and 60s, you’re at a time in your life when you may start hearing constant ringing in your ears and other ear noises caused by a condition medical professionals call tinnitus. We’re now learning that baby boomers who grew up and lived their adult lives listening to loud music are more likely to have this problem than their parents, grandparents and previous generations.

If you don’t believe that years of listening to highly amplified music can damage your ears,  just look the number of “veteran rockers” who now have to live with constant ringing in the ears and other ear noises caused by tinnitus.

Here’s a partial list of rock and roll royalty who have admitted to having tinnitus and other hearing problems:

The Who’s Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle. Townshend can no longer hear at all in one ear. His deafness is probably the result of high volume music and explosions that were part of their concert act, along with listening to super-amplified playback s during studio recording sessions.

Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac admitted in a recent Rolling Stone Magazine interview that “The world’s worst is when you find yourself going like Mother Hubbard and cupping your hand behind your ear. I was a major glutton for volume: ‘Gotta feel it, gotta hear it.’ Sooner or later you’re going to pay the reaper.”

Others who have suffered at least partial hearing loss or related problems include George Harrison of the Beatles, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Huey Lewis and Bono.

Band members from My Bloody Valentine, Metallica and The Red Hot Chili Peppers are also on the list of the hearing impaired.

Other Celebs Who Hear Ear Noises

Extremely loud on stage noises seem to be an occupational hazard for other entertainers too – not just rockers.

Both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have tinnitus-like hearing problems suffered during a prop explosion when they were filming a Star Trek episode in the late 60s.

Steve Martin, the actor and comedian, acquired tinnitus while filming a pistol-shooting scene in “¡Three Amigos!” in 1986.

Constant ringing in the ears has been a problem for some famous people for a long time – even before they found fame, in some cases.

Barbra Streisand has ascribed her volatile temperament to the tinnitus from which she has suffered since she was seven, according to a number of news reports.

Actress Morgan Fairchild had scarlet fever when she was very young. She says she had many kidney infections and ear infections as a child that she believes caused her to become partially deaf.

Ear noises that have probably been caused by tinnitus have also affected many other famous people, including the late ABC newsman Peter Jennings, broadcaster Larry King, actor Richard Thomas, and presidents Bill Clinton and the late Ronald Reagan.

Having tinnitus is not an sign that you’re losing your hearing completely. But if you hear constant ringing in the ears, or noises like a whirr, hum, buzz, whoosh or any sound that shouldn’t be there, you should definitely make an appointment to get a hearing exam as soon as you can.

George McKenzie is a former TV news anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host.