Real Name – Elton John
Date of Birth – March 25, 1947
Birth Place – Pinner, UK
Net Worth – $550 Million
Elton John, a best-selling singer-songwriter, has enjoyed a long career, becoming one of the UK’s top-selling artists of all time. At Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, he performed “A Candle in the Wind” at Westminster Abbey, which went on to sell 33 million copies worldwide and became the UK’s best-selling single.
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, a London suburb, he attended Pinner County Grammar School and the Royal Academy of Music. Displaying piano talent from the age of three, Elton admits to practicing little but still managed to achieve success.
His music career began in 1962 at just 15 years old. Initially performing popular ballads, Elton progressed to recording music and launching his solo career. Selling over 250 million records and achieving 50 Top 40 hits, he became one of the most successful musicians ever. Elton dominated the rock world in the 1970s, producing seven consecutive Number One records in the US album charts, 23 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10 hits, and six number one songs.
Critical of the internet’s impact on artistic creativity, Elton has helped keep the piano a vital part of rock and roll and popular music. Known for his extravagant attire and flamboyant styles, he has also admitted to drug use.
In his personal life, Elton was engaged to Linda Woodrow in 1968, came out as bisexual in 1976, married Renate Blauel in 1984, and later identified as homosexual. He and partner David Furnish entered a civil partnership when it became legal, and they have a son through surrogacy. Active in AIDS campaigning since the late 1980s, Elton befriended Princess Diana before her death. His musical success, alongside lyricist partner Bernie Taupin, has had a profound impact on popular music.
A passionate supporter of Watford Football Club, Elton was made club chairman in 1976. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #49 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and knighted in 1998.
