Elton John is arguably one of the greatest music icons the 20th century has to offer. His rich sound and voice, along with great songwriting skills, have given the world some enduring songs that will ensure he is remembered long after his death. Who was Elton John before fame and who is he outside of music? You’ll learn that and more as you read on.
Elton John’s bio
The British singer was born on March 25, 1974 in Pinner, Middlesex, England as Reginald Kenneth Dwight. A love of music came to him at an early age, leading him to teach himself to play the piano at the age of four. It proved to be a great win for him and he soon won a scholarship to a program at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He attended the courses on the weekends.
Young Elton John saw his parents through when he was a teenager and divorced his father, Stanley Dwight, who was at odds with him over his decision to pursue music. Despite his father’s ire, Elton John dropped out of school at 17 to pursue a career in music.
Elton John’s journey began when he was with a group called Bluesology . In this group he met two members whose names he added together to make his new stage name, by which he is now better known. By 1967, Elton John focused on his songwriting skills after responding to an advertisement for a songwriter placed by Liberty Records. After getting the job, he met lyricist Bernie Taupin, with whom he joined the DJM label in 1968.
However, they first wrote songs for other artists. In 1960, Elton John had his big break as a singer with his album “Empty Sky”, which presented their writing efforts. The album didn’t go far, but Elton John didn’t budge. In 1970 he released a self-titled project, which then contained his first hit, the song “Your Song”. It opened the door for more hits from the singer and Elton John enjoyed a string of best-selling albums.
It was also during this period that Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and made Commander in Chief of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995. The Queen knighted him a few years later, which is why he is sometimes known as “Sir Elton John”. Elton John has maintained his love for music and has continued to record and release even after he officially retired from touring in 2018.
Is he gay?
In 1976, Elton John publicly announced that he was bisexual. It was not an easy time for him when he was laughed at and mocked. However, he would later come out as a gay man.
husband, wife and children
From 1984 to 1988 Elton John was married to a woman named Renate Blauel. In 1993, after his divorce, Elton John began a relationship with a man named David Furnish, who was a former advertising executive turned filmmaker. The Civil Partnership Act of England came into force on December 21, 2005 and Elton John and John Furnish were among the first to use it to form a Civil Partnership, having worked together at Windsor Guildhall.
Gay marriage was legalized in England in 2014. On the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership, December 21, 2014, Elton John married David Furnish. Together they raised a family – with two sons: Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, who was born to a surrogate on December 25, 2010, and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, who joined them in January 2013.
Wealth (income and earnings)
As one of the greatest music icons of the 20th century with many albums and song credits to his name, Elton John is understandably very wealthy. Estimated to be worth a whopping £195million, the Sunday Times has named him as part of the 10 richest people in the UK music industry. In addition to his primary home in Old Windsor, Berkshire, he owns properties in Nice, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Venice and Holland Park in London.
He is also said to possess one of the largest private photography collections in the world. Elton is quite a big donor. In 2000 he revealed he’d eloped £30million in just under two years, but he apparently still has a lot of where that came from.