Elton John reveals what he wants to be remembered for (and no, it’s not the music)

Elton John he knows very well how he wants to be remembered. Not as a pop legend, glam rock icon, or musical rebel: simply as a good father.

“On my tombstone I just want it to say: ‘He was a great dad,'” the 77-year-old singer told Timein an interview with her husband David Furnish. There are no prizes, sold-out concerts or rankings to aspire to: the most important legacy for Sir Elton is the emotional one left to his sons Zachary (13 years old) and Elijah (11), whom he shares with Furnish, his partner for over three years. decades.

It is not the first time that the artist underlines the value of the family. During an interview with Good Morning AmericaElton had said: «My music speaks for itself. My legacy is that I was a great husband and an even better father. The career, the successes, everything was fantastic, shocking, revolutionary. But what really matters is that my children are happy, that they have a wonderful life and that I have been a good father to them. That’s all.”

It was also seen physically at his last concert at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2022, when he wanted the whole family on stage. A deliberately studied gesture, as Furnish said: «Elton wanted the world to see and understand why he decided to stop touring».

Fatherhood that came late, after a life lived to the fullest, is for Elton John his greatest personal success. “I’ve had an incredible life, an extraordinary career, unthinkable achievements, music, blah blah blah… But I would say that our children, together with David, are the most important thing in my life,” he said in an interview with Radio Andy while promoting Tammy Faye on Broadway. However, Elton does not hide that becoming a parent at an older age also comes with concerns. In the documentary Elton John: Never Too Latewhich premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, said Zachary and Elijah fear the moment of his death, saying, “They think about it a lot and are worried about it.”

Added to this is a well-considered educational choice. “We didn’t want to educate our children at home,” Furnish explained, “because we want them to be autonomous people, free to define themselves in the way they want.”

Elton John is aware that the spotlight has made him a symbol for millions of fans around the world, but he said that for him the most important recognition comes from his sons, Zachary and Elijah, who occupy the center of his life. And that’s the only tribute that really matters.