Elton John

1947-present

Elton John News: Pop Icon Achieves EGOT Status with Emmy Win

Elton John secured his place as a music legend long ago, but the enduring pop star continues to add his name to the history books. On January 15, he become an EGOT—as the winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—as his live-streamed concert Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium captured an Emmy Award.

The trophy for Outstanding Live Variety Special adds yet another bow on the 76-year-old’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which concluded in July 2023 and marked his last as a touring artist. Farewell from Dodger Stadium broadcast his final concert in the United States on Disney+. It captured his Los Angeles show on November 20, 2022, and featured Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, and Kiki Dee.

Between 1987 and 2020, John earned five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, and one Tony Award. His Oscars, both for Best Original Song, recognized “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King (1994) and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman, the 2019 biopic about the “Bennie and the Jets” singer. John’s work on the musical Aida with lyricist Tim Rice won the pair a Tony for Best Original Musical Score. Among his Grammys are two for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The new EGOT recipient joins rarified air with only 18 other performers to have achieved the feat.

Elton John’s unique blend of pop and rock styles turned him into one of the 20^th century’s biggest music icons. He was musically gifted from a young age and released his first self-titled American album in 1970, making him a huge international star. Some of his chart-topping hits include “Crocodile Rock,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Candle in the Wind.” The five-time Grammy winner also found success on Broadway, composing the score for Billy Elliot (2008), which went on to win 10 Tony Awards. John was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, knighted in 1998, and achieved EGOT status in 2024.

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

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, England, in the United Kingdom. He discovered his passion for music at an early age and taught himself how to play the piano when he was only 4 years old. Proving to be a great talent, he won a scholarship to a youth program at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

John had a difficult relationship with his father, Stanley Dwight, a member of the Royal Air Force. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he and his father clashed over his future. John, captivated by the sounds of early rock ’n’ roll, wanted to pursue a career in pop music. And much to his father’s dismay, John dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream. He started playing with a group called Bluesology, and he cobbled together his stage moniker from the names of two members of the group.

In 1967, John answered an ad for a songwriter for Liberty Records. He got the job and soon teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin. The duo switched to the DJM label the following year, writing songs for other artists.

Elton John and his long-term songwriting partner, lyricist Bernie Taupin, in 1985.

John got his first break as a singer with his 1969 album Empty Sky, featuring songs by John and Taupin. While that recording failed to catch on, his 1970 self-titled effort featured his first hit, “Your Song.” More hits soon followed, including No. 1 smashes such as “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Island Girl.” John enjoyed a series of top-selling albums during this time, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Rock of the Westies (1975).

Elton John performs in May 1974 in Watford, England.

One of the top acts of the 1970s, John became equally famous for his live shows. He dressed in fabulous, over-the-top costumes and glasses for his elaborate concerts. In an interview with W, John explained that “I wasn’t a sex symbol like Bowie, Marc Bolan, or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more on the humorous side, because if I was going to be stuck at the piano for two hours, I was going to make people look at me.”

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”

In 1976, John hit the top of the charts again with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” his duet with Kiki Dee. He soon decided to take a break from music, focusing his energies on his soccer team that he co-owned in England.

Around this time, John also publicly announced that he was bisexual (he later came out as a gay man). At the time, John was ridiculed and taunted for his sexuality. The controversy died down, and he made a triumphant return to music in 1979 with the album A Single Man.

“Little Jeannie” and “Empty Garden”

While not producing smash hits in the 1980s, John 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 as a tribute to his friend John Lennon of the Beatles, who had been killed in 1980.

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”

Branching out in different directions, John teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice for several projects. They worked together on the soundtrack for the 1994 animated hit The Lion King, and one of the movie’s songs, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” brought John his first Academy Award win for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. John and Rice pair later netted a Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2000 for their musical Aida.

John received a number of honors around this time. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Queen Elizabeth II made John a Commander of the Order of the British Empire the following year. The queen knighted him several years later, making him officially Sir Elton John.

“Candle in the Wind 1997”

While he enjoyed all of the recognition and praise, he soon found himself rocked by grief. During the summer of 1997, John lost two good friends: fashion designer Gianni Versace and Princess Diana. He reworked one of his classic songs “Candle in the Wind” as a tribute to Princess Diana, with the song’s proceeds going to a charitable trust established in her honor. “Candle in the Wind 1997” proved to be a tremendous success, selling more than 30 million copies that year and earning the pop icon another Grammy.

John continued to record new music later in his extensive career. In 2006, he released The Captain & the Kid, a sequel to his earlier autobiographical effort Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975). He also teamed up with Leon Russell for 2010’s The Union, which led to a joint tour. John later released The Diving Board (2013), his 30^th studio album, produced by T Bone Burnett.

In February 2016, John released his 33^rd studio album, Wonderful Crazy Night, to generally positive reviews. The album featured the Elton John Band, with whom he last collaborated a decade prior.

Also in demand as a songwriter, John was instrumental in bringing Billy Elliott the Musical to the stage. The show, adapted from the 2000 film, opened on Broadway in 2008, where it quickly became a critical and commercial success. John also worked on the 2011 animated film Gnomeo & Juliet, serving as a producer and a composer.

Even with a toned-down stage persona, John remained a very popular live act. In 2012, he performed with Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney, among others, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.

Around this time, it was revealed that John and his husband were working on a biopic about the legendary musician titled Rocketman. Starring Taron Egerton, the movie finally reached the finish line with its premiere at the May 2019 Cannes Film Festival, drawing attention for its whimsical musical scenes as well as its unflinching portrayal of John’s sexuality. The artist followed with the publication of his autobiography, Me, later that year.

In January 2020, John and Taupin claimed the Best Original Song – Motion Picture at the Golden Globe for Rocketman’s “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.” Amazingly, it was their first shared award after more than a half-century of creating some of popular music’s biggest hits together. The duo then picked up their second joint honor, also for Best Original Song, at the Academy Awards the following month.

On January 24, 2018, John announced that he would retire from the road after his planned Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. “My priorities have changed,” he said, citing his desire to spend more time with his husband, David, and their kids. “In 2015, David and I sat down with a school schedule... I don’t want to miss too much of this.”

That year also brought an end to his Las Vegas residency, “The Million Dollar Piano,” which wrapped with a May 17 performance at Caesar’s Palace.

Elton John performs one of his last concerts in the United States in November 2022 as part of his record-breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

Ultimately, fans had plenty of opportunities to see John before he entered a new phase of his career. The international Farewell Tour kicked off on September 8, 2018, and was scheduled to end in 2021. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced a delay, which was then extended so John could recover from a hip injury. Restarting in January 2022, John played his last show in the United States in November 2022 in Los Angeles before completing his 330^th—and final—concert on July 8, 2023, in Stockholm.

“I don’t think it will sink in for a while yet that I’ve finally finished touring,” John 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 and how much their support has humbled me—it will stay with me forever.”

The Farewell Tour became the first concert series to earn more than $800 million in ticket sales before also breaking the $900 million mark. Those records propelled it to an even bigger feat as the highest-grossing tour in history. By the end of its run, the Farewell Tour generated $939.1 million in revenue. However, the title was short-lived with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour taking the title in December 2023.

The British pop icon memorialized his goodbye tour with a live-streamed concert special titled Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. It captured John’s final U.S. concert on November 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee, and Brandi Carlile also performed during the three-hour event. In January 2024, John achieved EGOT status when the special, for which he was an executive producer, won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Variety Special. His is the 19^th person to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

In 1990, after years of battling substance abuse issues, particularly cocaine, which may have triggered severe epileptic seizures, John went into rehabilitation. The newly sober musical star, delighted at his second chance at life, soon founded his own charitable organization to help in the fight against AIDS. Established in the United States in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has brought in more than $565 million to support HIV/AIDS programs around the world.

In addition to his own foundation, John supports a number of different charities and arts organizations, including the Globe Theatre and the Royal Academy of Music.

In March 2020, John hosted the iHeart Living Room Concert for America to raise funds for coronavirus relief efforts. Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl, and Sam Smith were among the artists who performed from their homes for the benefit.

Elton John married his husband, David Furnish, in December 2005. They have two sons, Zachary and Elijah.

John met his longtime partner David Furnish at a dinner party in 1993. The pair got married in a civil ceremony on December 21, 2005, the same day the Civil Partnership Act 2004 went into effect. With the help of a surrogate, the couple welcomed their first son, Zachary, in December 2010 followed by their second child, Elijah, in January 2013.

Nine years after their civil ceremony, on December 21, 2014, the couple wed after laws allowing gay marriage took effect the same year in Britain.

John was previously married to Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988.

• Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.
• I’ve been touring since I was 17 in the back of a van. I’ve had the most incredible life. I’ve been so lucky, and I’ve loved every single minute of it.

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