Elton John has announced a plan to retire after one last world tour. The legendary singer, known for hits such as “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” and “Your Song” is taking some well deserved time off after nearly 50 years on the road. The news was announced via a joint press conference hosted simultaneously in New York and London on Wednesday. The decision was made out of a desire on the part of the singer to spend more time with his two sons. John also spent some time in intensive care just last year after falling ill in South America with a harmful bacterial infection. One of the most celebrated musical acts of all time, John began his career in 1963 and has sold over 300 million records to date.
Elton John Net Worth: $480 Million
The Early Years
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25th, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex. He studied at Pinner County Grammar School before leaving at age 17 to pursue a career in the music industry. This was much to the dismay of John’s father who preferred his son follow a more practical career path. John has often said that his use of extravagant costumes was a way of fighting against the repressive, restrictive nature of his youth. At age 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music and studied piano. He began playing at local pub under the stage name “Reggie,” playing mostly standards and popular hits, but as he was doing this he was developing an interest in composing his own songs. Soon John was working as a staffed musician and writer, backing acts like Patti Labelle with his group Bluesology. After answering an advertisement in the British magazine New Musical Express, John was introduced to Bernie Taupin, who would become a long time collaborator for the iconic singer. Together, the duo started writing songs for other musical acts.
1960’s-1970’s
As a writing team, John and Taupin began releasing albums together that was gaining more and more attention. In 1970, “Your Song” reached number seven in the UK singles chart and number eight in the US, becoming John’s first big hit. In 1973 the singer received worldwide critical acclaim for the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which included hits like “Bennie and the Jets” and the song “Candle In the Wind,” written in honor of the late Princess Diana.
1970’s-1990’s
John soon launched The Rocket Record Company and started signing acts he took a personal interest in. At the height of his career, John’s costumes began getting more and more elaborate, and he took an interest in theater. Pete Townshend of The Who asked John to play a character in the rock opera Tommy, and to perform the song “Pinball Wizard.” And in 1975, John’s album Captin Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy debuted at number one in the US. In the same year, John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1976, John announced via Rolling Stone that he was bisexual, but he did not begin his relationship with David Furnish until 1993. In 1983, he once again claimed a number one hit with the album Too Low for Zero, which included the songs “I’m Still Standing” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.” As if John needed any more qualifications to add to his resume, he collaborated with Tim Rice on the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King in 1992, penning unforgettable songs such as “The Circle Of Life.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. John has also used his influence to create the Elton John AIDS Foundation, launching the charity in 1992 to fund AIDS prevention programmes and help those in need.
2000’s – Present
In 2005, John returned to his love of musical theater with Billy Elliot the Musical, which opened to favorable reviews and won John four Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. He and his partner David Furnish became one of the first couples to wed in 2005 in the UK, the day the Civil Partnership Act was introduced.The couple have two sons, Zachary Jackson Levi, six, and four-year-old Elijah Joseph Daniel, born using a surrogate mother. Based on his hugely successful theatrical resume, it may come as no surprise then that John is currently working on the music for an adaptation of Aline Brosh Mckenna’s The Devil Wears Prada on Broadway. He also recently released a new collection of greatest hits, Diamonds, in November 2017.
With a career that spans nearly five decades, Elton John’s net worth is estimated to be $480 million.