Happy birthday to music legend Sir Elton John who is celebrating his 78th trip around the sun today. And the I'm Still Standing star has a lot to toast to, not least of all his impressive six-decade-long career that has seen him travel the world and earn a legion of dedicated fans. Sir Elton is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts, with more than fifty top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine number-one hits in both countries.
His vast array of awards include an Emmy Award, five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. With such huge success, Elton has amassed a large fortune, reportedly thought to be worth a staggering £200 million and has indulged in stunning houses, yachts, artwork, designer wardrobes and jewellery. The star was once famed for his extravagance – allegedly shelling out £290,000 just on flowers.
But after welcoming his two sons - Zachary and Elijah - to the family, his lavish spending habits have been transformed. After working hard for his money, the dad-of-two and his husband, David Furnish, insist that the boys must stand on their own two feet. Speaking to press previously, the musician said: “Having children changed everything about my life. I’ve learned that the simplest things in life – like having a minute with them – are worth more than any painting, any photograph, any house or any hit record.
“Before we had the children we just had our lives, and would spend money because we didn’t have anything else to focus on. We have really toned things down because we have enough stuff. There is nothing else we need." He went on: “Of course, I want to leave my boys in a very sound financial state, but it’s terrible to give kids a silver spoon. It ruins their life."
He finished: “Listen, the boys live the most incredible lives, they’re not normal kids, and I’m not pretending they are. But you have to have some semblance of normality, some respect for money, some respect for work. I came from a very working-class family and was born in a council estate house. I earned everything I did from hard work, and that’s the way they’ve got to do it as well. They have to do chores in the house – take their plates to be cleaned, help in the kitchen, tidy their rooms and help in the garden, and each time they do they get a little star to put on these charts they’ve made. They understand they need to do these things, and they enjoy it.”
Last year, Elton shocked his audience by revealing live on stage that he had lost his eyesight and couldn't see. The iconic musician was greeting his fans at the West End production of 'The Devil Wears Prada', featuring Vanessa Williams, when he confessed he "lost his eyesight and can't see the stage.
