Elton John is one of the 20th century’s biggest pop icons, with his chart-topping hits Crocodile Rock, Philadelphia Freedom, and Candle in the Wind he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988, now holding the title Sir Elton John. But who were the creators of this superstar?
Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, has been open about the identity of his parents – even going so far as to create the song Rocketman inspired by his mother. Elton John is the son of Sheila Farebrother – who sadly died in 2017 and Stanley Dwight who passed in 1991.
John has admitted that his whole career was to make his father proud, despite having a rocky relationship with him while he was alive. He has been open about the treatment he received from his mother when he came out as gay back in 1992 though he has revealed the heartache he experienced at the saddening loss of his late mom.
Childhood and Early Years
Middlesex-born British singer, songwriter, and composer was born on March 25, 1947. Four years later, John had uncovered his burning desire and passion for music, and he managed to teach himself to play the piano at the young age of four. Impressive, right?
If that’s not enough to convince you of this star’s talent, by the age of 11, John had secured a junior scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. How many 11-year-olds do you know who have done that?
It wasn’t smooth sailing for John’s parents, though, because when he was a teenager, they divorced. John always had a challenging relationship with his father, Stanley, from whom John was always seeking approval and acceptance. In the past, John has even gone as far as to write a check of £2,000 to his father’s wife to buy a new car for the family; in the end, John didn’t attend the funeral of his father as he didn’t want to be hypocritical.
It appears John had a toxic relationship with his mother too, and he has been open about this in the media. Appearing on CBS Sunday Morning, he labelled his mum a sociopath and revealed that she never met his sons, Zachary, 9, and Elijah, 7. John revealed that the pair did love each other, but their relationship was one of many complexities.
In the interview, John revealed:
“[…] I’m glad they didn’t meet her because she would have criticised them, like she criticised me […] She couldn’t help herself. She’s a sociopath.”
Elton John and His Sexuality
When John came out as gay, he did not expect it to have negative implications for his career because he believed that being gay was accepted as the norm by the time he came out. John faced the challenging reality that his sexuality wasn’t thought of favourably when radio stations in America stopped playing his tracks, and some even burned his records.
John allegedly faced trouble being accepted by his mother for being gay too, as in Rocketman reveals that his mom told him he’d never be accepted for being gay.
It took John a while to reveal his true sexuality, but since he has came out, what he has said has been very inspiring. In an interview, he provided his take on sexuality and advice to the LGBTQ community. Here’s what he said:
“Just be yourself […] Don’t let anybody do you down. I’ve been very privileged because I’m in a business that kind of accepts gay people. There are kids that aren’t privileged. They come from poor backgrounds. Their parents don’t understand; religion gives them a hard time.”
Concluding Notes
Despite his many successes in the music industry, John has faced obstacles and hurdles that he has been tasked with overcoming as well. It didn’t always come easy for this star, but through it all, he’s remained a strong and powerful icon in public.