Elton John is the only artist to have been a groom in his first marriage and a bride in his second. Rolling Stone magazine; ranked him 49th among the top 100 artists of all time.
He is among the greatest singers of all time, selling more than 450 million albums and more than 110 million single copies since the 1970s.
Sir Elton Hercules John, real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight; was born on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, London, England. In 1961 his parents divorced. He was educated at Pinner County Grammar School until the age of 15. Elton John was only 3 years old when he started playing the piano. Elton John's father was a Royal Air Force trumpeter. Elton John started taking piano lessons when he was 4 years old. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music. After 6 years of music education, he left his school with the desire to take part in the music world and show business.
When John was only 15, he started playing the piano on weekends in a bar at the behest of his parents. After a while, he founded the Corvettes group with his friends at the beginning of the 60s, later the name of the group was changed to Bluesology. He became a professional musician in 1965. Then, in the first years of Eurovision, he participated in the competition for England. He met Bernie Taupin in 1966. Bernie Taupin was a then-unknown Lincolnshire songwriter who would later write lyrics for Elton John for 32 years. At the end of the communication that continued by correspondence, they made their first collaborative song "Scarecrow". It was at that time that Reginald Dwight took the first names of his former colleagues Dean and Baldry and changed his name to Elton John, as he thought it would be more commercially viable.
Over time, Elton John rose to international fame. He became a star with the albums he released in the 1970s. Elton John began working with famous artists such as John Lennon during this period. Soon, Elton John was a "superstar". His concerts in the USA were like a show. The funny costumes and glasses he wore in American concerts attracted attention. Elton John is the only self-proclaimed rock star.
In 1976, he reached the peak with Kiki Dee's duets "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Here and There" and "Blue Moves". These songs, which gained great acclaim in Europe, sold over 2 million copies.
In 1979, Bernie Taupin settled in Los Angeles. Thus, the relationship between Elton John and Bernie Taupin was broken. Elton John had lost the songwriter of his songs. After that, Elton wrote the lyrics with the pianist and Tony Osborn's son, Gary. This new partnership has spawned several successful songs. The most important song that can be remembered from this period is the instrumental "Song for Guy". He then continued to work with Bernie Taupin again.
Also known for his passion for football, Elton John also supported the Watford team. He owns 15% of the club. His team won the 1985 final trophy.
After his successful music career, personal problems bothered Elton. His hair was falling out and he was gaining weight. He was also rumored to be bisexual. Because being known as homosexual scared him back then. That's why album sales stopped in the 80s. In 1988, he performed the excellent song "Reg Strikes Back". His fast-paced song "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" attracted great attention.
In April 1991, the Sunday Times also named Elton John among the wealthiest people in Great Britain. He was in great form in 1992 and his new album "The One" brought him success again.
In the same year, he created a fund to fight AIDS. He transferred most of his concert and album revenues here. In 1993, he achieved the success he expected with his album "Duets", in which he invited Bonnie Rait, Paul Young, KD Lang, and George Michael. In the same year, 5 new songs that he composed for the movie "The Lion King" were released. The album reached number one in the US. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” received the Oscar for “Best Film Music”. He has won the Grammy award five times.
The album “The Big Picture” was in great demand. Its commercial success was great. A year later, it was announced as the best-selling album in the United States.
They were also very good friends with Princess Diana. After Diana's tragic death, at her family's special request, he sang "Candle In the Wind" at her funeral with new lyrics and a flawless performance. It is estimated that this emotional moment in Westminster Abbey was watched by two billion people on television.
Due to cocaine and alcohol addiction, he spent some time in a Chicago rehabilitation center in 1990.
'Sir' Elton John, who was given the title of knight by the Queen of England in 1998 'for his services to music and charity, commented, "Now I'll have to carry a card to explain why I sounded the alarms while I was going through airport security checks" after he was fitted with a pacemaker in July 1999.
In 1995, he gave candid interviews and made confessions about his private life by displaying his sense of humor. From their sexual preferences; His name has been frequently admired in pop news for his easy talk of obsessions with his weight and baldness. He said he was bisexual in an interview in the late 1970s, but years later he also stated that it was a compromise, that he was actually gay.
Elton John founded the Elton John Aids Foundation after the death of his partner Ryan White from AIDS in 1992. He donated the proceeds of the Grammy award-winning That's What Friends Are For single and all subsequent singles to this foundation.