My sons know what I do but I try to leave Elton on stage... Their life isn’t normal but we try not to spoil them
HE’S had a five-decade career, is worth €350million and has embarked on his final world tour – but there are two people who always bring Sir Elton John back down to earth – sons Zachary and Elijah.
Despite being a global icon, with his own biopic on the way, whenever he goes home to his family Sir Elton leaves his stardom at the door.
He says: “They know what their daddy does but I never bring Elton home.”
But with mansions on both sides of the Atlantic, a mind-boggling art collection, yacht, wardrobes and jewellery, hiding his fame from eight-year-old Zach and Elijah, six, is nigh on impossible.
Yet Elton, who has sold 300 million albums and racked up more than 50 top 40 hits, tells the boys he isn’t famous but just “known for his music” when fans snap photos or selfies.
For him, it’s essential they stay as grounded as possible. Elton says: “They’ve seen the tour in New York. They know Daddy is famous. But when we are out and people are taking our photograph or ask for a photograph, they say, ‘Why do they want your photograph?’
“We always say, ‘Because people like my music’. We don’t say ‘because I’m famous’, or anything like that. I try to leave Elton on the stage.
“And they love their daddy’s music but they also like a lot of other people’s music, so they’re quite grounded.”
Elton, 71, who is on a three-year worldwide Farewell Tour, was speaking about his life away from showbiz, somewhat ironically while at his annual Aids Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in Hollywood this week.
Among those he was happy to see win an Oscar was A Star is Born’s Lady Gaga, for Best Original Song with Shallow.
She’s a close friend and godmother to his sons, who were born with the help of the same surrogate and egg donor.
Sir Elton says: “They call her Gagamother. We are very excited and proud of her. She was brilliant in the film. There was no question of her not winning best song.” He was even happier that his
annual fundraiser was such a success, raising €5.8million in one night.
Sir Elton may have decided to stop touring but he says he won’t be ending his fundraiser, which is one of the top events in the Hollywood calendar.
“We’ll never stop doing this,” he vowed, adding: “The end of Aids, we hope, will be by 2030 – by which time I will be 83, if I live that long.
“Our children have always been educated. They know that we do this and the older they get, they have to support people, not just with Aids, people in general who need help.”
Husband David, 56, added: “We will never stop having this party. In fact, the great thing about having Elton off the road is that we can devote more time to the foundation.”
Some fans were worried the star was packing in too much work on his three-year cross-planet show, which goes well over two hours nightly.
However, the Watford-born musician, whose real name is Reg Dwight, is loving his last hurrah.
“I’m having so much fun. I didn’t expect to have as much fun as
I’m having but what we try to do visually and musically is elevate it to another level, because if you’re going to do one more tour, you’ve got to make it a little special.”
ELTON believes the band, which includes long-termers Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson and Ray Cooper, is playing better than ever. “I’m singing really well, too, and, visually, it’s great. I’m having a terrific time.”
He has done more than 65 dates so far and tonight’s show in Minneapolis will mean he has played to more than a million people so far on this run.
“It’s joyous. I want it to be joyous because I want to say thank you to everybody for 50 years of support and love, and it’s turning out that way.
“It hasn’t become a drudge yet. I mean, ask me in another 250 shows because I did two shows in Vegas at
Caesars Palace and I did 450 shows there in my career and at the end it was like Groundhog Day because you’re going back to the same thing.
“When you’re on tour you’re going to a different place every night, more or less, so it’s different.”
He added: “Three hundred shows is a lot and we’re doing 40 in Australia and New Zealand alone. So I’m trying to stay in the moment and not think about what’s going to happen.
“I want it to end triumphantly, I want to have a wonderful finish and then have a breather.
“The reason I did this farewell tour was because I’ve been travelling since I was 17 in a group and then as Elton. The situation has changed personally. My children need to be with me and I need to be with them.
“I’m fed up travelling. I do travel in the most comfortable, luxurious way but I find it really boring.
“By the time I finish I’ll be at least 75. That will be a chance to reassess what I want to do. I just owe it to those children to be there for them.” Elton admits the boys have a far from average life but being there for them doesn’t mean spoiling them rotten.
He said last year: “We don’t live a normal lifestyle per se but we try not to spoil them, they have a pound each a week pocket money.
“They get saving, pocket money and charity, and they have their own account for philanthropy.
“They have to do chores around the house. They help in the garden, they take their plates out, they help tidy their rooms and it helps give them a sense of responsibility because, God knows, they don’t lead a normal life, there’s no pretending about that.”
Rocketman, the biopic of his rise to such incredible fame, is released in May and stars Kingsman’s Taron Egerton, 29.
He sings all the music and gave Elton a sneak peak of his talents while performing at last Sunday’s fundraiser, which included star guests Heidi Klum, Paris Jackson and Diana Ross.
Elton, who co-starred with Taron in Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle, is impressed with the actor’s portrayal.
He said: “The trailer is amazing but I haven’t seen the whole film. But I have heard the music and Taron has done an amazing job.”
Beaming with pride at the 27th anniversary of his Aids fundraiser, he says: “It’s flown by, tonight is always a hugely important occasion. We have the end in sight but we have to make sure that people get tested and stop the stigma. I am very optimistic, I hope we can stop this disease in the next few years.
“We have to get the medicine to the people who need it, we have to get the price of the medicines down and, more importantly, as I say every year, we have to get rid of the stigma.
“But you know we’re slowly battling away and I’m still confident in a few years’ time, we’ll see the end of this.”