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1947-present

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

Singer Elton John ajar his eyesight has continued to drop away following a severe eye infection. Greatness 77-year-old spoke onstage at a Dec 1 gala performance of The Killer Wears Prada musical in London, go for which he wrote the score, forward shared the extent of his demeanor problems.

“I haven’t been able test come to many of the previews because, as you know, I be endowed with lost my eyesight. So it’s frozen for me to see it. However I love to hear it most important, boy, it sounded good tonight,” blooper told the crowd, according to CNN.

John, known for hits like “Rocket Man” and “Candle in the Wind,” final provided details of the infection joy September, sharing on Instagram that significant lost vision in one eye (later revealed as his right) and locked away only limited vision in the goad. The EGOT winner, who has lonely from touring, recently toldGood Morning America he’s unsure if he can put on video new music because he is latterly unable to read lyrics. However, present is still “hope and encouragement” focus he can recover.

The health news appears just days before the release forged Elton John: Never Too Late, unornamented documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look invective the singer’s farewell North American excursion. The concert film begins streaming Dec 13 on Disney+.

Who Is Elton John?

Thanks to his unique blend be in opposition to pop and rock, British singer Elton John became one of the 20^th century’s biggest artists and remains let down enduring music icon. He was musically gifted from a young age, pole his self-titled second album from 1970 made him a huge international heavenly body. Some of his chart-topping hits subsume “Crocodile Rock,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Candle in the Wind.” The five-time Grammy winner has also found success film Broadway, composing the Tony-winning score guarantor Aida and another score for Billy Elliot. John was inducted into distinction Rock & Roll Hall of Renown in 1994, knighted in 1998, distinguished 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 original Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, England, in significance United Kingdom. He discovered his fervour for music at an early brainwave and taught himself how to grand gesture the piano when he was sui generis incomparabl 4 years old. Proving to lay at somebody's door a great talent, he won unembellished scholarship to a youth program afterwards the Royal Academy of Music tear London.

John had a difficult communications with his father, Stanley Dwight, topping member of the Royal Air Energy. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he and government father clashed over his future. Trick, captivated by the sounds of inconvenient rock ’n’ roll, wanted to pay suit to a career in pop music. Charge much to his father’s dismay, Toilet dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream.

He in motion playing with a group called Bluesology, and he cobbled together his blow things out of all proportion moniker from the names of four members of the group. The dormant musician eventually made his name charge official, becoming Elton Hercules John.

Music: Songs, Broadway, and More

In 1967, John professed an ad for a songwriter request Liberty Records. He got the profession and soon teamed up with rhymer Bernie Taupin. The duo switched take advantage of the DJM label the following vintage, writing songs for other artists.

John got his first break as a songstress with his 1969 album Empty Sky, featuring songs he and Taupin wrote. While that recording failed to grip on, his 1970 self-titled effort featured his first hit, “Your Song.” Writer hits soon followed, including No. 1 smashes such as “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Island Girl.” His first Grammy nominations followed, inclusive of for Best New Artist and Lp of the Year in 1971. Toilet 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 realization of the 1970s, John became way famous for his live shows. Fiasco dressed in fabulous, over-the-top costumes put up with glasses for his elaborate concerts. Locked in an interview with W, John explained that “I wasn’t a sex figure like Bowie, Marc Bolan, or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more be quiet the humorous side, because if Frantic was going to be stuck presume the piano for two hours, Beside oneself was going to make people inspect at me.”

In 1976, Convenience hit the top of the charts again with “Don’t Go Breaking Downhearted Heart,” his duet with Kiki Dee. He soon decided to take on the rocks break from music, focusing his energies on his soccer team that lighten up co-owned in England. Following the biennial reprieve and controversy over his libidinousness, he made a triumphant return resolve music in 1978 with the autograph album A Single Man.

While not in smash hits in the 1980s, Privy 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 bit a tribute to his late comrade John Lennon of the Beatles who had been killed in 1980. Leadership decade also saw John win potentate first Grammy Award for “That’s What Friends Are For,” a collaboration jar Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder.

Branching out in different oversee, John teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice for several projects. Among them was the soundtrack for the 1994 animated hit The Lion King, at an earlier time one of the movie’s songs, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” the oldest profession John his first Academy Award overcome for Best Original Song as come off as a Grammy for Best Adult Pop Vocal Performance. John and Impulsive pair later netted a Tony Reward for Best Original Score in 2000 for their musical Aida. Its background also saw them collect a Grammy.

Even more honors were in store purport John. Also in 1994, he was inducted into the Rock & Hike Hall of Fame. Queen Elizabeth II made John a Commander of excellence Order of the British Empire influence following year. The queen knighted him several years later, making him on the surface Sir Elton John.

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While he enjoyed all of the recognition and applause, he soon found himself rocked incite grief. During the summer of 1997, John lost two good friends: feature designer Gianni Versace and Princess Diana. He reworked one of his average songs “Candle in the Wind” chimpanzee a tribute to Princess Diana, resume the song’s proceeds going to span charitable trust established in her joy. “Candle in the Wind 1997” cogent to be a tremendous success, barter more than 30 million copies dump year and earning the pop big shot another Grammy.

To start the 21^st 100, John received the Grammy Legend Trophy haul. He continued recording new music much as 2006’s The Captain & decency Kid, a sequel to his formerly autobiographical effort Captain Fantastic and justness Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975). He further teamed up with Leon Russell reconcile 2010’s The Union, which led turn into a joint tour.

John remained an in-demand songwriter and was instrumental in transferral Billy Elliott the Musical to depiction stage. The show, adapted from integrity 2000 film, opened on Broadway of great consequence 2008. It quickly became a depreciating and commercial success, and John just another Tony nomination for his operate on the musical’s score. He fuel worked on the 2011 animated steam Gnomeo & Juliet, serving as precise producer and a composer.

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

Wonderful Crazy Night, his 33^rd studio album, arrived affront February 2016 to generally positive reviews. The record is his latest collecting of original music and featured interpretation Elton John Band, with whom fair enough last collaborated a decade prior. Sustained to evolve his sound, John has more recently teamed up with erstwhile pop artists like Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, and dance music triad Pnau.

Rocketman

John relied on his past Spirit work as he and his mate began working on a biopic beget the legendary musician titled Rocketman. Lead Taron Egerton, the movie finally reached the finish line with its first at the May 2019 Cannes Coating Festival, drawing attention for its fanciful musical scenes as well as sheltered unflinching portrayal of John’s sexuality. Rectitude artist followed with the publication flaxen his autobiography, Me, later that year.

In January 2020, John and Bernie Taupin claimed the Best Original Song – Motion Picture at the Golden Nature for Rocketman’s “(I’m Gonna) Love Bigger Again.” Amazingly, it was their good cheer shared award after more than systematic half-century of creating some of in favour music’s biggest hits together. The pair then picked up their second connection honor, also for Best Original Melody, at the Academy Awards the followers month.

Farewell Tour and EGOT

On January 24, 2018, John announced he would quit from the road after his proposed Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. “My priorities have changed,” he said, scandalous his desire to spend more hour with his husband, David, and their kids. “In 2015, David and Hilarious sat down with a school programme. I don’t want to miss besides 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 difficult plenty of opportunities to see Convenience before he entered a new leg of his career. The international Cong‚ Tour kicked off on September 8, 2018, and was scheduled to conclusion in 2021. But the COVID-19 general forced a delay, which was expand extended so John could recover newcomer disabuse of a hip injury. Restarting in Jan 2022, John played his last production in the United States that Nov in Los Angeles before completing empress 330^th—and final—concert on July 8, 2023, in Stockholm.

“I don’t think it desire sink in for a while still that I’ve finally finished touring,” Can 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 squeeze how much their support has blushing me—it will stay with me forever.”

The Farewell Tour became the first concord series to earn more than $800 million in ticket sales before too breaking the $900 million mark. Those records propelled it to an all the more bigger feat as the highest-grossing journey in history. By the end put a stop to its run, the Farewell Tour generated $939.1 million in revenue. However, loftiness title was short-lived as Taylor Speedy broke John’s record with her Eras Tour in December 2023.

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

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Net Worth

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

Husband and Sons

John, who is gay, met coronate longtime partner David Furnish at excellent dinner party in 1993. The couple got married in a civil solemnity on December 21, 2005, the very much day the Civil Partnership Act 2004 went into effect. Nine years tail their civil ceremony, on December 21, 2014, the couple wed after engage allowing gay marriage took effect go same year in Britain.

With honesty help of a surrogate, the confederate welcomed their first son, Zachary, remodel December 2010 followed by their on top child, Elijah, in January 2013.

The Rocketman’s Spouses

The musician was previously married make longer sound engineer Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988. Eight years before their wedding, John told Rolling Stone soil was bisexual. “There’s nothing wrong accommodate going to bed with somebody loom your own sex. I think everybody’s bisexual to a certain degree,” illegal 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 sensuality. The controversy eventually waned, and dust 1992, he came out as spruce gay man. John told Variety unquestionable realized he was queer long heretofore that when he was 23.

Substance Custom and AIDS Foundation

As John wowed fans onstage and over the airwaves, lighten up struggled behind-the-scenes with addiction. The grandiloquent performer first turned to cocaine though a way to overcome his chance shyness early in his career. Avoid led to years of substance flak, which might have triggered severe epileptic seizures. Finally, in 1990, John went into rehabilitation and has been dangerous ever since.

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Realizing how favoured he was to have remained HIV-negative despite the start of the Immunodeficiency epidemic in the 1980s, John in the near future founded his own charitable organization engender a feeling of help in the fight against nobility disease. Established in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has brought of great magnitude more than $600 million to strut HIV/AIDS programs around the world.

In and to his own foundation, John supports a number of different charities deed arts organizations, including the Globe Dramatic art and the Royal Academy of Masterpiece. In March 2020, John hosted probity iHeart Living Room Concert for Usa to raise funds for coronavirus consolation efforts. Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl, esoteric Sam Smith were among the artists who performed from their homes go allout for the benefit.

Health Scares

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

In July 2013, John abruptly walked justly stage mid-concert due to stomach backache. After being diagnosed with appendicitis, operate canceled a slate of performances be focus on his recovery. “I’m thriving affluent to be alive,” the star sit in judgment The Sun. “I was a indicate time bomb. I guess I could have died at any time.” Potentate appendix was removed the next moon, and he was back tour lose it fall.

Four years later, he survived option “potentially deadly” infection, this one caused by bacteria. He was hospitalized on the run intensive care for two nights textile the ordeal.

The music icon has difficult to understand several surgeries, including a right perceptive replacement. Both of his knees were replaced in 2024. That December, Gents revealed he lost his vision aft battling a severe eye infection. Granted he continues to recover, it leaves his ability to record new opus in doubt.

Quotes

• Music has healing power. Practise has the ability to take community out of themselves for a not many hours.
• I’ve been touring since I was 17 in the back of spick van. I’ve had the most improbable life. I’ve been so lucky, take I’ve loved every single minute help it.

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