The quiet life of Elton John, the singer who resists becoming legendary

Sir Elton John's exaggerated life can hardly be domestic, although that is the purpose announced by the most British universal artist that exists, along with Paul McCartney or Rod Stewart, for the years that lie ahead of him.

These days the awards are piling up for Reginald Kenneth Dwight, his real name, when he is about to turn 77 years old.

The United States Library of Congress has just announced the award in 2024 of its prestigious Gershwin Prize in the Popular Song (Pop) category to the UK artist, and the lyricist of the vast majority of his hits, Bernie Taupin.

Shortly before this latest recognition was known, Elton John had become an EGOT, that special breed of entertainment people capable of accumulating Emmy (television), Grammy (music), Oscar (film) and Tony (theater) awards.

There are only 19 of them.

The live broadcast of his concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the last American stop on his farewell world tour

Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,

earned the artist what he was missing, the coveted Emmy.

At the end of a tour with 330 performances, it is estimated that the tour raised around 920 million euros.

Just a week ago he announced a book in which he will tell all the details of his farewell tour: “It has been a beautiful journey creating this book and remembering the people and places that shaped an incredible chapter of my life.

In addition to the stories and memories, not only from this tour but from my entire career, I have included unpublished photographs and memories that I hope give you a never-before-seen image of my life on the road, he explained on his Instagram about

Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life On Tour

, a title that will not be released until next September 24.

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It wouldn't be the last goodbye.

There were more, and none of them sounded completely definitive.

A year later she performed at the legendary Glastonbury festival, in the southwest English countryside.

“It has been an incredible journey.

I had a great time, and I will never forget you.

You are in my mind, in my heart and in my soul.

You have been an incredible audience tonight, and I wish you love, health and happiness,” said Elton John to the almost 200,000 spectators who enjoyed his music live that night.

Between seven and eight million more watched it through the BBC, an

audience

share (48.9%) that is difficult to beat.

I'ma bitch, I'ma bitch, the bitch is back

(I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch, the bitch is back).

It was one of the hits chosen by the singer for a concert that was very much a nostalgic review of half a century on the front line, but also to make it clear that it was not in his plans to abandon the scene completely.

He was wearing a gold suit and black glasses with pink lenses.

Something rather discreet for the artist who made his outfits a fundamental part of his personality.

In the era of rock guitars, it was the trick chosen by an Elton John who was just starting out, glued to his piano, to constantly attract the attention of the public.

Crocodile Rock

,

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

,

Your Song

,

Candle in the Wind

... He did not leave any of his great songs out of his repertoire.

And he showed off the generosity shown over the years.

He did not turn to surprise big names to accompany him on stage, but rather he used his overwhelming influence to promote young promises like Stephen Sanchez or Rina Sawayama.

In Windsor, with the children

Elton John married David Furnish (Toronto, Canada, 61 years old) almost 10 years ago, when the United Kingdom finally legally recognized same-sex marriages.

They have two children, Zachary (12 years old) and Elijah (10), through surrogate mother, whose identity is unknown, but with whom the couple claims to maintain cordial and constant communication.

Elton John and David Furnish at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, held at St George's Church, Windsor Castle, on May 19, 2018. Pool (WireImage)

To family and domestic life, in his Windsor mansion, the singer assures that he wants to dedicate the maximum of his time in the years that lie ahead.

It is not difficult to see him with the two kids at the Pizza Hut or at the Waterstones bookstore in the picturesque British town.

“It's always hard to say goodbye.

But the truth is that I miss him, the children miss him, and he misses us,” Furnish said in the final weeks of the farewell tour.

“He's had enough.

The time has come to spend more time together as a family,” he anticipated.

Elton John's farewell, however, suggests that it will be more than just his famous “Candle in the Wind

,

” whose flame, the lyrics said, was extinguished long before the legend.

The singer resists moving into the legendary category.

He is working on a new album and a musical, and has not ruled out sporadic and occasional appearances on stage.

gone With the Wind

Elton John has also said goodbye, 30 years later, to his mansion in the elegant Buckhead neighborhood of southern Atlanta.

In the American town of Miss Scarlet from the movie

Gone with the Wind

decided to establish residence

the singer

,

compared to more popular options at the time such as Los Angeles or New York.

A thousand reasons have been given to explain why that boy from the London suburb of Pinner parked part of his heart in the same city that hosts Coca-Cola or CNN.

The warmth and hospitality of the historic south—undeniable—;

the cultural and musical vitality of the city—unbeatable—;

or the prosperity and coexistence between races of a capital that is home to the most relevant African-American middle class and the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change.

Rina Sawayama and Elton John perform during the Elton John AIDS Foundation's benefit gala on March 12, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.

Michael Kovac (Getty Images for Elton John AIDS)

There is another reason, however, more linked to the singer's personal history and philanthropic efforts.

In Atlanta, which is home to the largest gay community in the American South, resides the CDC, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Together with the Pasteur Institute, it was the institution that championed research and the fight against AIDS, when HIV terrified, stigmatized and killed the homosexual community.

Elton John has loosened his ties with Atlanta, and will auction this February at Christie's in New York the more than a thousand pieces of art and personal objects that he kept in his mansion.

But he remains firmly at the head of the Elton John Foundation against AIDS, one of the non-profit institutions that raises the most money in the still necessary research to eradicate the disease.

I'm still standing

, Elton John shouted in one of his most catchy and inspiring songs.

His does not suggest a domestic retreat, but rather a mere tactical withdrawal before returning to the scene.