He’s still standing:

A look at the life and achievements of Elton John.

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex.

He started playing the piano at the age of three and even then he could pick out songs by ear.

When he was seven, he started formal piano lessons. One of his instructors remembers Reginald playing back a four-page piece by Handel that he had heard just once.

In 1956, his mother brought home records by Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets and Reginald recalls being immediately hooked on rock and roll.

At the age of 11 he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.

In 1962 he formed a band called Bluesology. It had moderate success.

In 1967 he changed his name to Elton John in homage to two members of Bluesology – saxophonist Elton Dean and vocalist Long John Baldry.

During this time he was a session musician for other artists and played piano on The Hollies’ hit He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

Elton began his songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967 after answering an ad in the New Musical Express. The pair have since collaborated on more than 30 albums.

In 1969, Elton John released his first solo album called Empty Sky.

In 1970, he reached the top-10 in Britain and the US for the first time with the single Your Song off his second album Elton John.

From here the hit albums and hit singles continued to flow, including Honky Chateau (1972) featuring Rocket Man and Honky Cat; Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973) with Crocodile Rock and Daniel; and then his classic double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, featuring the title track along with Candle In the Wind, Bennie And The Jets and Funeral For A Friend.

In 1976 he topped the charts with the duet Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, sung with Kiki Dee. It took another 21 years until he hit number one again – this was his remake of Candle In The Wind after the death of Princess Diana.

Elton John has also had success in musical theatre composing the music for The Lion King, Aida and Billy Elliot The Musical.

In 1984 he married German recording engineer Renate Blauel but they divorced four years later. He then

told Rolling Stone magazine he was “comfortable” being gay.

He started a relationship with David Furnish in 1993. In December 2005 they formed a civil partnership and were married in December 2014 after gay marriage became legal in England.

Elton has been heavily involved in the fight against Aids and in 1992 established the Elton John Aids Foundation which has raised more than $US200 million.

In 1998, Elton John was knighted for his services to music and also to charitable services.