Every summer, Elton John, his husband David Furnish and their sons, 6-year-old Zachary and 4-year-old Elijah, vacation in the resort of Saint-Tropez in France. Now the family is vacationing there. On Sunday, celebrities with children were caught by the paparazzi while walking on a yacht. As usual, Elton John and his team traveled along the Cote d'Azur to be able to stop at the best beaches, and then stop at their favorite restaurant, Club 55, located on Pampelonne beach. Judging by the pictures, Elton John, his husband and children were in a great mood.
Elton John, David Furnish with children
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Elton John and David Furnish met in 1993 and began living together a year later. In 2005, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, Elton and David decided to get married. They became one of the first in the country who decided to take advantage of the new law. More than 700 guests were invited to the celebration, which took place at the Town Hall of the Windsor Estate, including Madonna, Sting, and Mick Jagger.
At the end of 2010, Elton John and David Furnish became parents; a surrogate mother gave birth to their son Zachary. A couple of years later, in January 2013, their second child, Elijah, was born in the same way.
Children have completely changed my life. “I realized that the simplest things in life, like spending a minute with them, are more valuable than any paintings, houses or even a hit record,” Elton said in an interview with the Mirror.
However, in one of his interviews with the Guardian newspaper, John admitted that he is raising his sons strictly.
They receive three pounds each as pocket money, with one pound to give to charity, one pound to put in a piggy bank, and only one to spend as they please. They receive three coins and put them in three different piggy banks. To get money, they must earn it - help in the kitchen or in the garden. They must learn to understand the value of working and making money on their own, said Elton John.
Sir Elton John is an iconic British musician, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Knight Bachelor. His albums sell millions of copies, his videos receive tens of thousands of views on the Internet every day, and his net worth is estimated at $270 million. He holds the title of the most commercially successful singer of the 70s.
The best-selling British pop singer, whose seven discs started at the top of the Billboard 200. According to the musician, he began his creative career as a pianist who sings, and over time turned into a singer who plays the piano.
Childhood and youth
Elton John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, North London. Since childhood, Reginald began to become interested in music thanks to his creatively minded parents - mother Sheila played the piano with her son, and father Stanley served as a military musician in the Air Force.
At the age of four, the future musician could already select melodies on the piano by ear and listened to records by the best musicians of the twentieth century. Stanley Dwight was not impressed. His father was not pleased with Reginald's hobbies - he considered his music studies stupid. Even after his son became a national celebrity, Stanley did not attend any of his concerts.
Reginald's parents divorced when he was 13 years old. At the same time, he began wearing glasses, trying to look like his idol. Subsequently, because of this, the boy’s vision deteriorated - noticeable myopia developed, and glasses turned from a stylish accessory into a mandatory necessity.
At the age of eleven, Reginald won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied free of charge for six years. He attended classes there on Saturdays, combining them with his studies at high school. Four years after this, his mother remarried, designer Fred Fairbrother became his chosen one, who supported the teenager’s passion for music.
Reginald performed in public for the first time at the age of 16. From then on he played piano at a local club and sang every week. Mom tried not to miss any of his performances. For one evening of work, an aspiring musician received about a pound - good money for a schoolchild. Soon he had enough money to buy an electric piano.
In 1960, Reginald, together with his school friends, founded the group “The Corvettes”, which at first performed the works of Jim Reeves and (at that time the most popular direction in music was rhythm and blues). The guys released two single-sided records, both of which did not gain popularity. A year later they changed their name to "The Bluesology".
Music
In 1964, Reginald Dwight dropped out of school to work in the sales department of the music company Mills Music. After some time, he also decided to leave his job for the tour of the group “The Blusology” in the UK, which provided accompaniment for popular bands (“The Isley Brothers”, “The Bluebelles” and others).
In 1967, Reginald fell in love with Linda Woodrow and for a long time sought her favor. As a result, the couple even got engaged, but after some time the girl gave him a choice: “Either me or music.” Reginald was ready to commit suicide out of despair, but came to his senses in time. At this time, he took the pseudonym Elton John - in honor of the musicians Elton Dean and Long John. So it began creative biography British star pop scenes.
In the late sixties, Liberty Music held a talent competition, and Elton John decided to test his strength. He sang a number of songs from someone else’s repertoire, but the audience did not appreciate it. However, the organizer of the competition, Ray Williams, gave him a book of poems by Bernie Taupin. Thus, he became the initiator of their creative union, which would last for more than thirty years.
Ray Williams introduced Elton John to Dick James, who allowed him to use his recording studio, DJM Records. At one time, the hits of the legendary were published here. At Williams' request, Dick allowed Elton to record the first record. This is where poet Bernie Taupin meets the rising rock star for the first time.
Elton's debut record "I've Been Loving You" went on sale in the spring of 1968 and even received positive reviews, but did not bring in any money. New leader One of the main departments of DJM Records, Steve Brown began to persuade Dick James himself to once again give his young co-authors freedom in their creative expression, to which he agreed.
Elton John. Song "I've Been Loving You"In 1970, the album “Elton John” was released. Some time after this, Steve Brown quit, realizing that he could not cope with his position at the required level. He returned to his previous position in EMI's radio advertising department, where he continued to promote Elton John's work.
In the wake of the success of British music, the aspiring English musician was noticed in the United States and Elton was invited on a test tour. In the fall of 1970, he flew to the United States, where he was given a warm welcome. The singer’s main concert then took place inside the Troubadour club. After living in America for three weeks, Elton and Bernie headed back to the USA just a month later.
In the early seventies, Elton John and his team, which included drummer Nigel Olson, bassist Dee Murray, and guitarist Davey Johnston, recorded the soundtrack for the film Friends. This music was loved by the majority of American audiences. At the same time, the singer bought himself a small bungalow.
Elton's friend Davey Johnston once spoke about his dream of releasing a solo album. Having learned about this, Elton John and manager John Reed tried to help him, but absolutely all negotiations with the studios were in vain. Then they decided to open their own enterprise, the main goal of which was to help a mutual friend.
Elton John. Hit "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"In the spring of 1973, Elton John, in the company of all his friends and acquaintances, celebrated the creation of his own recording company (Rocket Record Company). In its first year, the label released Elton's Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, which topped the UK charts.
Another success was the next album, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” which contained songs of different genres. In his lyrics, Bernie Taupin expressed his wildest literary ambitions. World critics call this collection the most important in Elton's career. At the same time, the performer finds himself in the heart of the glam movement, and the singer’s personality becomes more and more popular.
In 1974, Elton John released the album “Caribou,” which managed to reach number one in the United States, but received extremely negative criticism. Trying to recover a little after the devastating reviews, the musician decided to take a break and move on to other areas of activity. A lifelong football fan, he bought Watford and became its president.
In 1974, Pete Townshend invited him to perform a role in Ken Russell's rock opera called Tommy. The director wanted musicians to play as many roles as possible. Elton happily accepted the offer and appeared on stage as the “Local Guy,” although the role was very small; in total, he spent about four minutes on stage.
At the same time, he was invited by the ex-Beatle to record his solo album “Walls and Bridges”. Their joint single reached number one in the charts, and Lennon agreed to appear on stage with Elton, performing this song, as well as some of the Beatles' hits.
After another tour in the United States, the musician developed health problems, and, according to doctors’ recommendations, he was treated on the island of Barbados for almost four months. Upon his return, he began developing the Rocket Record Company and his personal football club. In the late seventies, the punk revolution began in England, and Elton John's music became irrelevant. He and Bernie stopped working together for a while.
During these years, Elton stayed at home almost 24/7, leaving only on special occasions. For example, he visited a dying friend. The death of the star had a strong impression on the musician. Since then, he began to carefully monitor his health, fearing to end up like the famous “king.”
In 1980, the musician gave a free concert in New York's Central Park in front of an audience of approximately 400 thousand people near the home of John Lennon, to whom he dedicated the song “Imagine.” Three months later, the ex-Beatle was killed not far from this place.
Elton John concert in Central ParkSix years later, the musician lost his voice while touring Australia. After a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, he was forced to undergo throat surgery. Polyps were removed from Elton's ligaments and his voice changed. 20 years later, he admitted that this problem was a consequence of frequent marijuana use.
In 1991, Elton launched an organization to raise funds to fight AIDS. He was prompted to do this by the death of the frontman of the rock band Queen. At the same time, Elton also released a new joint single.
In 1995, Elton received an Oscar for the soundtrack to the animated film The Lion King. The song was called “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” In the same year, the Queen of Great Britain awarded him the title of Knight Bachelor - since then he has the right to use the prefix “sir” to his name. Two years later, during the farewell ceremony for the princess, the musician performed the song “Candle in the Wind,” specially rewritten the day before.
In 2002, Elton performed as the fifth member of Blue, covering his hit “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” The song topped the British charts. At the same time, a video for the song “Original Sin” was released. He also performed with the rapper during the Grammy Awards.
Elton John's soundtrack to the animated film "The Lion King"In 2015, the musician was pranked by a Russian prankster, who, posing as the President of Russia, arranged a personal meeting with him. He later apologized for this incident. A year later, the singer visited Moscow with a concert. Elton John always spoke warmly about Russia, and the public responded in kind. At the performance, the artist presented new album"Wonderful Crazy Night" This is already the 32nd studio album in the singer’s discography.
Elton John's hit "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"
In January 2018, Elton John informed fans that he was leaving the stage. The news for the musician's fans was shocking. The artist commented on this decision with a desire to fully delve into the process of raising children. Elton also promised to continue writing songs and releasing them as he created them. The artist published the news on his official website.
However, the singer continued to give single concerts in the USA and Great Britain. In May, at the invitation of the Royal Family, Elton performed for the Prince and American Film Actress. In order to participate in the celebration, Elton John refused to tour in Las Vegas.
At the end of May, the pop star visited Armenia, where he visited a clinic for children with disabilities within the framework of the charity program “Yerevan – my love”. The Briton was accompanied by the President of the Republic.
Now the artist is preparing for his next trips, the first of which will be a concert in Georgia. The performance will take place on the Black Sea Arena stage in the village of Shekvetili. The artist's rider is quite modest, it contains clauses about providing the artist with water, juice, certain brands of wine and a spacious room for his glasses collection. Together with Elton John, musicians and 27 service personnel go on tour.
Discography
- 1969 – Empty Sky
- 1970 – Elton John
- 1971 – Madman Across the Water
- 1974 – Caribou
- 1975 – Rock of the Westies
- 1976 – Blue Moves
- 1978 – A Single Man
- 1979 – Victim of Love
- 1985 – Ice on Fire
- 1986 – Leather Jackets
- 1988 – Reg Strikes Back
- 1995 – Made in England
- 2013 – The Diving Board
- 2016 – Wonderful Crazy Night
Sir Elton Herkeles John (real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947 in the British city of Pinner, in the family of a military pilot. He was put at the piano at the age of four, and it quickly became clear that the boy had extraordinary abilities. At age 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. At 13, he created the group Bluesology with friends, which five years later would tour in the USA along with famous musicians rhythm and blues.
Star Trek's Most Famous Gay Man
In 1967, the musician recorded his first song, “Scarecrow,” based on poems by Bernie Taupin, and his collaboration with him would continue throughout the following years.
Soon the pseudonym Elton John was invented (two years later another name Herkeles would be added to it, in honor of the stallion from the comedy series). Under this name - "Elton John" - the musician's first album was released in 1970.
The second song from this record, Your Song, quickly became a hit in the UK and the USA. Its success determined characteristic style music by Elton John: rock compositions with elements of gospel (church chants) and soulful ballads.
The beginning of the 70s was unusually fruitful: Elton John's albums were released one after another. The most outstanding compositions of those years were such songs as Back Home (the football anthem of the England team), Burn Down the Mission, Get Back, Honhy Tonk Women, Levon, Friends.
The 1980s proved to be a period of personal turmoil for Elton John. Shortly after the musician performed the song Imagine at a concert, dedicated to his friend John Lennon, he died tragically. Elton himself had to undergo surgery on his vocal cords, which forever changed his voice. But, no matter what, he continued to write songs that became hits on both sides of the Atlantic: I"m still standing, I guess that"s why they call It the blues, Little Jeanny, That"s what friends are for etc.
By the early 90s, the musician decided to put an end to his turbulent past and bad habits. After completing several rehabilitation courses in clinics, he moved to live in the USA and wrote the super hit Sacrifice. His other single, Basque, was awarded a Grammy in 1991 in the category
Best Instrumental Composition. In 1994, Elton John began work on the score for the animated film The Lion King, the most commercially successful animated film in history. Of the five songs nominated for an Oscar, three belonged to his pen. The award for the musician was brought to him by the soundtrack Can You Feel The Love Tonight. Elton John was also awarded a Grammy for the same song. A year later he received the title of Knight Bachelor and began to be called “Sir”.
The musician received his next Grammy award for the single Candle in the Wind, written in 1997. It was dedicated to memory and became the best-selling of all time.
In the 2000s, Elton John continued to impress audiences with hits and albums. One of his most successful singles was the song Electricity. And the song Are You Ready For Love, written back in the 70s and re-released, turned out to be the most successful project recent years.
The singer's personal life
In February 1984, Elton married sound engineer Rinata Blauel. They lived together for four years and decided to divorce. The singer declared his homosexuality, although earlier he also said that he considers himself bisexual.
In 1993, David Furnish became John's life partner, and in 2005 they decided to legalize their relationship after a law was passed in the UK allowing same-sex marriage.
In 2010, a surrogate mother gave birth to their common son, Zachary.
Photo by Sir Elton Hercules John: GettyImages/Fotobank.ru
There is probably not a single person in the world who does not know who Sir Elton John is. He is the most successful rock musician in the entire United Kingdom. Experts estimate his current fortune at 260 million US dollars. And that's not counting the fact that the composer donated $1 billion to charity. John managed to win all his fans thanks to his unique voice, captivating piano music and piercing lyrics of his songs. Over the course of his career, the singer managed to sell more than 250 million records and had an incredible influence on the spread of soft rock.
The composer's childhood
Sir Elton John was named Reginald Dwight at birth. And a great event happened on March 25, 1947 in the cozy English town of Pinner. Since the boy’s father was a military man, he appeared at home extremely rarely. In 1962, the parents of the future knight divorced, and his mother took over his upbringing. Later, my mother’s second husband also joined the educational process, with whom Elton established a good relationship.
The future Sir Elton John, while still very young, began to show excellent musical creativity. Already at the age of four he began attending piano lessons. And after several years, young Reginald was able to reproduce any classical composition. For this he received the nickname "prodigy." At the age of eleven, Dwight was already a scholarship student at the Royal Conservatory, where he subsequently studied for six years.
The rocker began his musical career quite early. Together with friends in 1960, he organized the group The Corvettes. It was a blues band that later renamed itself Bluesology. During the day, the future king of the music world worked part-time in a music publishing house, and when night fell he played in various bars and taverns. The group's success was stunning, and in the mid-1960s the team toured America with all its might.
Becoming popular
During this period, Sir Elton John (then still Reginald) met Long John Baldry. He later began organizing performances for the group. A little later, Dwight and Bernie Taupin meet. The artist still collaborates with him today. The first song of this tandem appeared in 1967. It was called Scarecrow. In 1968, the guys released the single I've Been Loving You. Before this time, the singer had already performed under the now famous pseudonym Elton John.
Elton released his first solo record in 1969. It appeared under the name Empty Sky. It was not a market success, but it received excellent reviews. In 1970, Elton John (sir) recorded the album Elton John, which contained the formula for success. Both lyrical ballads and hard rock songs were provided here. Then John played his first solo concert. It took place in Los Angeles and was a fabulous success. The singer's performance style created a sensation and aroused admiration among the audience and critics.
Then the singer was invited to participate in the creation of an anthem for the English football team, to which John agreed with the greatest pleasure. In 1971 he released the album Madman Across the Water.
From the 1980s to the 2000s
A little later we will find out why Elton John is a sir, but for now we will deal with the events of his life and work throughout the 1980-2000s. In 1980, the rocker gave a charity concert in front of an audience of four hundred thousand. The show took place in Central Park in New York City. And in 1986, the maestro lost his voice. He was destined to undergo an operation, which subsequently changed the timbre of his voice forever.
Elton John began the 1990s with hospital treatment. In the hospital he was treated for drug addiction, bulimia and alcoholism. In 1994, the musician received an Oscar for his song Can You Feel The Love Tonight, which is the soundtrack to the animated film The Lion King.
During the 2000s, John collaborated with Tim Rice to create the theme for the film "Road to Eldorado". A year later, Sir John sang at the Grammy Awards with Eminem. In 2007, the star singer performed in the Ukrainian capital. And in 2011, the composer showed himself as a songwriter and producer of the film “Gnomeo and Juliet.”
Knight Elton John
In 1998, he received the title Elton John (Sir). This title was given to him personally by the Queen of Great Britain. was due to Elton's enormous contribution to modern pop music. The decision taken by the Royal House to award the singer such an honorary title put John on a par with such famous personalities as Paul McCartney, Isaac Newton and Terry Pratchett.
Same-sex love crowned by marriage
Sir Elton John and his husband met in London at one of the countless parties. The name of the celebrity's chosen one is After the meeting, the young people almost immediately began living together. And on December 21, 2005, men were practically the first in the UK to register their relationship in an official form.
The wedding ceremony took place in the Town Hall of Windsor Palace. The newlyweds held a large wedding, attended by 700 guests. Today the family has two children from a surrogate mother.
With his long-time partner David Furnish. The ceremony, to which not a single journalist was invited, took place at the Windsor estate near London. The wedding took place exactly nine years after John and Furnish entered into a civil partnership. Lenta.ru recalls how Elton John became an icon of the LGBT community, while managing not to lose the love of his more traditionally oriented fans.
Elton John has lived with David Furnish since 1994. In 2005, the couple registered a civil partnership in the UK. This arrangement of relationships differs from marriage in that the couple cannot get married in a church, but otherwise have all the legal rights and obligations of spouses. Now Elton and David are raising two sons born from a surrogate mother. The couple made the decision to officially register their relationship after Elizabeth II passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the summer of 2013. Previously, only civil partnerships were allowed in the country.
The turning point interview
In 1976, 29-year-old Elton John was already a world-famous rock star. His songs consistently occupied the first lines of the charts on both sides of the ocean. The singer willingly communicated with the press and did not skimp on interviews. In one of them, talking with Rolling Stone journalist Cliff Jar, Elton John admitted that he is bisexual.
“There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of the same sex. I think everyone is bisexual in some way. It's not bad. It seems to me that you are also bisexual. I think everyone around is like that,” the singer admitted to Jar.
He later clarified that he called himself bisexual, not gay, only so as not to traumatize his fans, many of whom were horrified even by such a softened wording. Coming out did not affect the popularity of the rock musician: at the end of the same year, Elton John gave seven sold-out concerts in a row at Madison Square Garden - this record has not yet been broken by any performer.
Be mine
At the beginning of 1984, Elton John proposed marriage to his sound engineer, oddly enough, a woman - Renate Blauel. The 31-year-old German woman agreed, and just a few days later, on February 14, they got married in Sydney. Some time later, another ceremony took place in the UK, to which the couple invited only close relatives.
Photo: Patrick Riviere / Getty Images / Fotobank
The idyll lasted only four years, during which evil tongues insisted that Elton John got married only as a diversion. The musician himself never commented on this.
The severity of parting
After the divorce, the singer gave another interview to Rolling Stone magazine. He reported that he was “comfortable being gay.” We also talked about the AIDS epidemic, which claimed the lives of gay celebrities such as Freddie Mercury and Rock Hudson. The musician expressed extreme surprise that he managed not to become infected with HIV by having unprotected sex.
For the next five years of his life, Elton John, in his own words, lived from depression to depression. Abused alcohol and drugs. The singer, who repeatedly underwent rehabilitation courses, managed to break away from drug addiction only in 1993, when he met David Furnish.
New chosen one
They met at a party in London. In the mid-1980s, a native of Scarborough, Canada, David Furnish received a bachelor's degree in business administration and got a job in the office of one of the world's largest advertising agencies, Ogilvy & Mather. The company quickly appreciated the talents of the new employee and soon transferred him to work at the agency's headquarters in London.
The couple almost immediately began living together. David Furnish left Ogilvy & Mather and completed courses at the British Film Institute. In 1997, he directed the biographical film Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras.
First among equals
In 2004, the UK ratified the Civil Status Act, which introduced the concept of “same-sex marriage” into law. Elton and David were among the first in the country to officially register their union. This happened on December 21, 2005.
The wedding ceremony took place at the Town Hall of Windsor Castle, where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were married six months earlier.
Just like this weekend, only the closest friends and relatives were invited to the celebration. The couple exchanged wedding vows and yellow diamond rings and kissed. After which the happy newlyweds and their guests went to a festive party at the Berkshire estate. About 700 people had fun at the wedding, including Madonna, Sting, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne and other stars.
Young fathers
Although small children require a lot of attention, neither Elton John nor his husband give up their careers. Elton John continues to record successful albums and gives concerts (the singer will visit Moscow at the end of 2015). David Furnish produces the cartoon "Gnomeo and Juliet 2" and works in board of trustees Elton John AIDS Foundation, a charity dedicated to the fight against AIDS around the world.
