Is Van Morrison autistic?

Creative people are often thought to be somewhere on the autism scale because they do not think conventionally. Van Morrison would definitely fit that bill. Although his biggest hit “Brown Eyed Girl” is a relatively traditional pop song, his other efforts are not. He is not autistic though. He has never shunned the spotlight for any length of time and he has never claimed to be. It may seem that every person who creates off beat music or art could be autistic, and some are, not everyone is. Speculation and rumor plague the recording and film industries though, so this is no wonder.

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9 comments

  1. Yeah he has this eclectic style of music, but many artists do as well and not all of them are autistic. It’s just about being artistic I believe. Lets just say he’s a bit different in a way, but not autistic.

  2. Well I’m from Brooklyn, and glad I’m writing and not speaking when I say Van and other non-traditional performers are *artistic*, not autistic. Labeling someone with a disorder merely because they think in non conformist ways is dangerous and can lead to a society which sees creative types as sick people. Already a sizable group of uneducated folks think this way. We need those with an “outside” perspective to keep us fully aware of any given situation, so we should value these people. Conformist thinking in fact can be dangerous when it disregards certain factors.

    1. James, Well Said. I wholeheartedly agree with you. However, I do like to keep on talking about celebrity with autism, There are tons of people out there who knows nothing about autism. Autism awareness is needed every single day every way we can.
      Have a blessed day!

  3. I think Van and others may well be Aspergers. High functioning autism. Our son probably has this and it combines being very proficient in some things with social awkwardness, which Van certainly has. He is shy and uncommunicative if he is not talking through his music.

    1. yes…That’s how I see it too….
      Surprising though that from his lyrics/songs you might imagine he had had no difficulties in valuing relationships with women in a normal way…. imho.

    2. Van Morrison has the autistic stare. That alone cannot diagnose Asperger’s, but it sure goes a long way to it! (Me: licensed to diagnose, and that stare is the first tip off.)

  4. Recent events have led to Van Morrison communicating socially. As an education consultant specialising in autism, I certainly question this. The initial answer stating that he is not autistic because he has never shunned the spotlight is a tad outdated as we now know of a huge number of celebrities who have been diagnosed, especially in adulthood. Incidentally, we don’t actually know that he has never shunned the spotlight, we only know when he has performed, not when he said no. It’s very possible that no-one has ever suggested an assessment to him and it would perhaps be difficult but helpful in the long run. He has numerous identifiers that would suggest an autistic spectrum disorder including self-soothing physical manifestations, linear perspectives and social difficulties. However, without an assessment, he might never know if he is on the autistic spectrum. Final words, perhaps he is, he knows and keeps the information private.

  5. yes…replying to Daivd Fischer…That’s how I see it too….
    Surprising though that from his lyrics/songs you might imagine he had had no difficulties in valuing relationships with women in a normal way…. imho.

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