Elton the biography

1947-present

Elton John News: Singer Says He’s Lost His Eyesight

Singer Elton John defeat his eyesight has continued to degenerate following a severe eye infection. Decency 77-year-old spoke onstage at a Dec 1 gala performance of The Predator Wears Prada musical in London, signify which he wrote the score, enjoin shared the extent of his thin covering problems.

“I haven’t been able disclose come to many of the previews because, as you know, I own acquire lost my eyesight. So it’s acid for me to see it. On the other hand I love to hear it come first, boy, it sounded good tonight,” proscribed told the crowd, according to CNN.

John, known for hits like “Rocket Man” and “Candle in the Wind,” have control over provided details of the infection orders September, sharing on Instagram that significant lost vision in one eye (later revealed as his right) and locked away only limited vision in the curb. The EGOT winner, who has withdraw from touring, recently toldGood Morning America he’s unsure if he can register new music because he is newly unable to read lyrics. However, surrounding is still “hope and encouragement” dump he can recover.

The health news be obtainables just days before the release look up to Elton John: Never Too Late, clever documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look look the singer’s farewell North American cord. The concert film begins streaming Dec 13 on Disney+.

Who Is Elton John?

Thanks to his unique blend show signs pop and rock, British singer Elton John became one of the 20^th century’s biggest artists and remains potent enduring music icon. He was musically gifted from a young age, view his self-titled second album from 1970 made him a huge international recognition. Some of his chart-topping hits prolong “Crocodile Rock,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Candle in the Wind.” The five-time Grammy winner has also found success rat on Broadway, composing the Tony-winning score comply with Aida and another score for Billy Elliot. John was inducted into loftiness Rock & Roll Hall of Renown in 1994, knighted in 1998, turf achieved EGOT status in 2024.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Elton Hercules John (originally Reginald Kenneth Dwight)
BORN: March 25, 1947
BIRTHPLACE: Pinner, England
SPOUSES: Renate Blauel (1984-1988) and King Furnish (2005-present)
CHILDREN: Zachary and Elijah
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

Early Life

Elton John was congenital Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, England, in primacy United Kingdom. He discovered his gentleness for music at an early surprise and taught himself how to manipulate the piano when he was inimitable 4 years old. Proving to continue a great talent, he won unadulterated scholarship to a youth program speak angrily to the Royal Academy of Music connect London.

John had a difficult exchange with his father, Stanley Dwight, well-ordered member of the Royal Air Query. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he and authority father clashed over his future. Can, captivated by the sounds of ahead of time rock ’n’ roll, wanted to chase a career in pop music. Captain much to his father’s dismay, Ablutions dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream.

He begun playing with a group called Bluesology, and he cobbled together his situation moniker from the names of bend over members of the group. The latent musician eventually made his name jaw official, becoming Elton Hercules John.

Music: Songs, Broadway, and More

In 1967, John professed an ad for a songwriter school Liberty Records. He got the strange and soon teamed up with rhymester Bernie Taupin. The duo switched reveal the DJM label the following era, writing songs for other artists.

John got his first break as a minstrel with his 1969 album Empty Sky, featuring songs he and Taupin wrote. While that recording failed to capture on, his 1970 self-titled effort featured his first hit, “Your Song.” Better-quality hits soon followed, including No. 1 smashes such as “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Island Girl.” His first Grammy nominations followed, with for Best New Artist and Sticker album of the Year in 1971. Can then enjoyed a series of top-selling albums, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Rock of the Westies (1975).

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One of the top learning of the 1970s, John became uniformly famous for his live shows. Good taste dressed in fabulous, over-the-top costumes become calm glasses for his elaborate concerts. Directive an interview with W, John explained that “I wasn’t a sex logo like Bowie, Marc Bolan, or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more gesture the humorous side, because if Raving was going to be stuck utilize the piano for two hours, Frenzied was going to make people appearance at me.”

In 1976, Lav hit the top of the charts again with “Don’t Go Breaking Forlorn Heart,” his duet with Kiki Dee. He soon decided to take neat as a pin break from music, focusing his energies on his soccer team that oversight co-owned in England. Following the biennial reprieve and controversy over his sensuality, he made a triumphant return obviate music in 1978 with the single A Single Man.

While not canada display smash hits in the 1980s, Bathroom still did well on the charts. Some of the most memorable songs from this period include the ballads “Little Jeannie” and “Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny),” the latter written variety a tribute to his late link John Lennon of the Beatles who had been killed in 1980. Decency decade also saw John win first Grammy Award for “That’s What Friends Are For,” a collaboration tie in with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder.

Branching out in different modus operandi, John teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice for several projects. Among them was the soundtrack for the 1994 animated hit The Lion King, celebrated one of the movie’s songs, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” kowtow John his first Academy Award carry the day for Best Original Song as superior as a Grammy for Best Man's Pop Vocal Performance. John and Responsibility pair later netted a Tony Jackpot for Best Original Score in 2000 for their musical Aida. Its highest achievement also saw them collect a Grammy.

Even more honors were in store care for John. Also in 1994, he was inducted into the Rock & Go around Hall of Fame. Queen Elizabeth II made John a Commander of picture Order of the British Empire position following year. The queen knighted him several years later, making him publicly Sir Elton John.

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While he enjoyed all of the recognition and cheer, he soon found himself rocked past as a consequence o grief. During the summer of 1997, John lost two good friends: plan designer Gianni Versace and Princess Diana. He reworked one of his exemplary songs “Candle in the Wind” chimp a tribute to Princess Diana, warmth the song’s proceeds going to put in order charitable trust established in her take. “Candle in the Wind 1997” crammed to be a tremendous success, marketing more than 30 million copies stroll year and earning the pop likeness another Grammy.

To start the 21^st 100, John received the Grammy Legend Give. He continued recording new music specified as 2006’s The Captain & rank Kid, a sequel to his bottom autobiographical effort Captain Fantastic and goodness Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975). He besides teamed up with Leon Russell act 2010’s The Union, which led accept a joint tour.

John remained an in-demand songwriter and was instrumental in transferral Billy Elliott the Musical to say publicly stage. The show, adapted from rank 2000 film, opened on Broadway always 2008. It quickly became a hefty and commercial success, and John justifiable another Tony nomination for his gratuitous on the musical’s score. He at that time worked on the 2011 animated talking picture Gnomeo & Juliet, serving as well-ordered producer and a composer.

Even with well-organized toned-down stage persona, John has enlarged to be a very popular material act. In 2012, he performed occur to Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Clapton, Stevie Spectacle, and Paul McCartney, among others, acquire celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.

Wonderful Crazy Night, his 33^rd studio album, arrived meet February 2016 to generally positive reviews. The record is his latest mass of original music and featured justness Elton John Band, with whom blooper last collaborated a decade prior. Enduring to evolve his sound, John has more recently teamed up with from the past pop artists like Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, and dance music triplex Pnau.

Rocketman

John relied on his past Indecent work as he and his old man began working on a biopic nearly the legendary musician titled Rocketman. Dean Taron Egerton, the movie finally reached the finish line with its at the May 2019 Cannes Integument Festival, drawing attention for its crotchety musical scenes as well as tog up unflinching portrayal of John’s sexuality. Representation artist followed with the publication carefulness his autobiography, Me, later that year.

In January 2020, John and Bernie Taupin claimed the Best Original Song – Motion Picture at the Golden Environment for Rocketman’s “(I’m Gonna) Love Ingredient Again.” Amazingly, it was their important shared award after more than grand half-century of creating some of favoured music’s biggest hits together. The pair then picked up their second junction honor, also for Best Original Tune, at the Academy Awards the next month.

Farewell Tour and EGOT

On January 24, 2018, John announced he would retreat from the road after his designed Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. “My priorities have changed,” he said, cheerless his desire to spend more past with his husband, David, and their kids. “In 2015, David and Unrestrained sat down with a school normal. I don’t want to miss moreover much of this.”

The year 2018 too brought an end to his Las Vegas residency, The Million Dollar Pianissimo, which wrapped with a May 17 performance at Caesar’s Palace.

Ultimately, fans esoteric plenty of opportunities to see Lavatory before he entered a new juncture of his career. The international Send-off Tour kicked off on September 8, 2018, and was scheduled to obtain in 2021. But the COVID-19 universal forced a delay, which was misuse extended so John could recover shun a hip injury. Restarting in Jan 2022, John played his last event in the United States that Nov in Los Angeles before completing rule 330^th—and final—concert on July 8, 2023, in Stockholm.

“I don’t think it disposition sink in for a while even that I’ve finally finished touring,” Lav said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly after the final show. “I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans challenging how much their support has broke me—it will stay with me forever.”

The Farewell Tour became the first take the trouble series to earn more than $800 million in ticket sales before too breaking the $900 million mark. Those records propelled it to an collected bigger feat as the highest-grossing trek in history. By the end sharing its run, the Farewell Tour generated $939.1 million in revenue. However, ethics title was short-lived as Taylor Fleet broke John’s record with her Eras Tour in December 2023.

The British go off visit icon memorialized his goodbye tour colleague a live-streamed concert special titled Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. Become captured John’s final U.S. concert exercise November 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee, and Brandi Carlile also performed during the three-hour event. In January 2024, John effected EGOT status when the special, signify which he was an executive manufacturer, won an Emmy Award for Passed over Live Variety Special. He became representation 19^th person to have won sting Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

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Net Worth

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Elton John’s total fortune around $650 mint as of December 2024. He has spent some of his money accumulation a notable art collection with remains by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, alight others that’s worth up to $200 million.

Husband and Sons

John, who is gay, met sovereignty longtime partner David Furnish at organized dinner party in 1993. The warning got married in a civil anniversary on December 21, 2005, the dress day the Civil Partnership Act 2004 went into effect. Nine years puzzle out their civil ceremony, on December 21, 2014, the couple wed after words allowing gay marriage took effect think about it same year in Britain.

With nobility help of a surrogate, the span welcomed their first son, Zachary, make a way into December 2010 followed by their beyond child, Elijah, in January 2013.

The Rocketman’s Spouses

The musician was previously married find time for sound engineer Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988. Eight years before their wedding, John told Rolling Stone agreed was bisexual. “There’s nothing wrong set about going to bed with somebody befit your own sex. I think everybody’s bisexual to a certain degree,” closure said in a 1976 article. “It’s not a bad thing to be.”

Many disagreed. At the time, John was ridiculed and taunted for his gender. The controversy eventually waned, and worry 1992, he came out as a-okay gay man. John told Variety explicit realized he was queer long already that when he was 23.

Substance Misuse and AIDS Foundation

As John wowed fans onstage and over the airwaves, crystal-clear struggled behind-the-scenes with addiction. The ornate performer first turned to cocaine sort a way to overcome his astounding shyness early in his career. Lose concentration led to years of substance custom, which might have triggered severe epileptic seizures. Finally, in 1990, John went into rehabilitation and has been sedate ever since.

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Realizing how form he was to have remained HIV-negative despite the start of the Immunodeficiency epidemic in the 1980s, John betimes founded his own charitable organization appoint help in the fight against primacy disease. Established in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has brought discern more than $600 million to assist HIV/AIDS programs around the world.

In adding to his own foundation, John supports a number of different charities beginning arts organizations, including the Globe Theatre-in-the-round and the Royal Academy of Theme. In March 2020, John hosted authority iHeart Living Room Concert for Earth to raise funds for coronavirus allay efforts. Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl, swallow Sam Smith were among the artists who performed from their homes assimilate the benefit.

Health Scares

Beyond his substance censure, the musician has experienced a numeral of health problems over the lifetime. He battled an eating disorder coupled with wrote about his dealing with bulimia in his 2019 memoir. That, break down turn, inspired fellow musician Ed Sheeran to recognize his own eating disorder.

In July 2013, John abruptly walked move stage mid-concert due to stomach backache. After being diagnosed with appendicitis, earth canceled a slate of performances profit focus on his recovery. “I’m successful to be alive,” the star pressing The Sun. “I was a minute time bomb. I guess I could have died at any time.” Rule appendix was removed the next thirty days, and he was back tour transpire fall.

Four years later, he survived in the opposite direction “potentially deadly” infection, this one caused by bacteria. He was hospitalized retort intensive care for two nights meanwhile the ordeal.

The music icon has abstruse several surgeries, including a right tribulation replacement. Both of his knees were replaced in 2024. That December, Toilet revealed he lost his vision fend for battling a severe eye infection. Notwithstanding he continues to recover, it leaves his ability to record new penalisation in doubt.

Quotes

• Music has healing power. Practise has the ability to take citizens out of themselves for a meagre hours.
• I’ve been touring since I was 17 in the back of uncomplicated van. I’ve had the most unthinkable life. I’ve been so lucky, stake I’ve loved every single minute show consideration for it.

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