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While Elton John is one of the most celebrated artists of all time, the “Rocket Man” singer believes becoming a father is his greatest accomplishment.
The British singer-songwriter, 77, opened up about fatherhood during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy on November 14. When asked by host Andy Cohen about welcoming his two children – sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11 – with husband David Furnish much later in life, the “Yellow Brick Road” singer described the moment as “the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”
“For me personally, I’ve had an amazing life, great career, incredible achievements, music, blah, blah, blah, but I would say that our sons, and David, are the most important things to me,” John told Cohen, who also became a first-time father in his fifties.
In fact, the Grammy winner explained that becoming a father was why he “came off the road, to be able to spend the latter part of my life being there for them.”
When it comes to being both a parent and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, John said: “I think anyone who is gay that brings up a child deserves applause, because there’s so many people that say it shouldn’t happen.
“Well, of course, it should happen, and I’m sure you’ve been a great dad. I’m sure Anderson’s a great dad,” he told Cohen, referencing the Bravo producer’s best friend and fellow father, Anderson Cooper.
“For all the other people out there who are gay and have their own children, it’s the greatest gift you could possibly have,” John added. “I’ve never had a better gift in my life, and I wouldn’t swap it for anything.”
John and Furnish, who have been together since 1993, entered a civil partnership in December 2005. They weren’t married for another nine years, until same-sex marriage became legal in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, they welcomed their eldest son Zachary via surrogate, when John was aged 63. They became parents to their second son, Elijah, in 2013.
Most recently, John has suffered from a series of health issues that left him with “limited vision” after a severe eye infection, as well as having his prostate, appendix, adenoids and tonsils removed. In the upcoming documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, which hits Disney+ on December 13, he candidly admitted that his sons have a fear of his death.
“They think about my mortality. They worry about my mortality,” he said in the film. “Not so much David but me.”
He explained that the fear comes from how much his children love him, noting: “So they want me to be around forever, [and] I would love to be around forever.”
Still, he has begun to accept there may be aspects of his sons’ lives that he’ll miss.
“I want to see them have children and get married. I don’t think I’m going to be around for that. Who knows?” John said. “You never know.”
