ROCKET MAN Iconic shots of Elton John
In a new book, legendary celebrity photographer Terry O’Neill celebrates Elton John’s life
As one of the most important celebrity photographers of his generation, Terry O’Neill has documented the lives of rock stars, actors and royals since the 1960s. Elton John, The Definitive Portrait, with Unseen Images, is a pictorial biography of the legendary pop star and includes some of O’Neill’s most famous images of the singer as well as previously unpublished photographs; from publicity shots to his life on stage, as well as more intimate, behind the scenes pictures.
In the following extract, the 81-year-old London-born photographer reveals how he first met and photographed John at his London home in 1972.
A date and time were arranged for me to take some photographs, and I made my way over to see him. I didn’t know what to expect, but I found an absolutely charming young man wearing rock-star glasses. He was a bit shy, though. I could tell that he wasn’t necessarily all that comfortable with me taking some straightforward shots, so we went to a rehearsal studio nearby, where he changed into a stage outfit and started to play the piano. And, I mean, he was not only playing, but also doing his best Jerry Lee Lewis jumping-handstand leap. On my way out, he gave me a cassette tape of what he was working on. It was labelled ‘17-11-70’ and it was sensational. He was going to be the guy who resuscitated pop music, for sure.
In the beginning, I needed to understand how best to work with the star and make him comfortable enough so we could get the photos we needed. I figured out quickly that the trick was to create a shot list of what I thought we’d be able to do and then just walk him through it as quickly as possible. Sometimes, we’d just get lost in his house. It’s often true that the bigger the star, the bigger the collection, and Elton was a bit of a shopaholic. He had thousands of records, and his closets were bursting with shoes, scarves and outfits – all the accessories a flamboyant star could wish for. And while some of the clothes were not my style, anyone could immediately see that he had great taste – in everything.
I was allowed unprecedented access to Elton’s life and work from the very beginning
“He’s a genius, an enigma, a star”
— Terry O’Neill
– in the recording studio, portrait studio, at home and at play, onstage and off. My relationship with him for more than 45 years now has been one of the most rewarding friendships in my life, and he has always been kind. I must have thousands of photos of the man in my archive and when you start looking at them, it’s like witnessing the visual evolution of a superstar. He’s a genius, an enigma, a star and one of the kindest, most compassionate people – both in public and private.