Pop goes friendship of superstars

Bohemian Rhapsody, the recent Queen biopic.

He added: ‘‘I do love Elton, only we’re not talking at the moment. We’ve had a spat.’’ Asked the cause of the dispute, he replied: ‘‘Because I criticised his tour as being money grabbing.’’

The falling out could bring an end to five decades of professional rivalry that has become the stuff of rock ’n’ roll legend.

The pair became friends in the Seventies, and their penchant for one-upmanship became evident in Las Vegas when John spotted Stewart’s banner for his Blondes Have More Fun tour outside Caesars Palace.

Not to be outdone, John put up a rival hoarding on the opposite building which read: ‘‘But Brunettes Make More Money.’’ Stewart, famous for his bouffant hairstyle, exploited the theme by sending John a salon hair dryer to underline his hair loss.

In 1983, they were interviewed together and both insisted they were ‘‘actually very good friends’’.

However, the theory that they were intensely competitive was confirmed when John revealed: ‘‘We’re all right until we both get in the Top 10.’’

In 1985, Stewart hired gigantic football-shaped balloons to hoist above Earl’s Court in London to promote his shows there. John promptly hired a sniper with an air rifle who shot them down.

In 1998, Stewart was jealous when John became Sir Elton. He said: ‘‘Sharon’s been knighted. I don’t know why I haven’t ... I do my bit for charity.’’

In 2016, Stewart upped the ante by saying: ‘‘Our albums came out at more or less the same time and we have been comparing how the sales are ... I’m winning.’’ He said they text ‘‘back and forth – how many albums I’ve sold and how many albums he has sold’’.

However, it is believed that John took exception to Stewart’s catty comments last year about the pianist’s farewell tour. Appearing on an American television chat show, Stewart was asked for his thoughts about his rival’s retirement, to be marked with 300 concerts as part of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He replied: ‘‘I did email her [John, now 72] and said, ‘What, again dear?’ And, I didn’t hear anything back.’’

– Telegraph Group