Who is Elton John?
Elton John is an English singer, composer, and pianist. He is frequently cited as one of Britain’s legendary singers with several award-winning songs to his name. Elton John is also regarded as one of the world’s best-selling pop performers of the 70s era.
Elton John’s birth name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight but he changed it legally to Elton Hercules John in May 1972. According to the singer, he disliked his original name and the unhappy memories attached to it made him change it.
Elton John was born on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex. He was born as the eldest child of his father, Stanley Dwight. Elton John’s mother is Sheila Eileen. While Elton John’s dad had other children from his other relationships, Elton is his mother’s only child.
Elton John is 86 years old as of 2023. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music through a scholarship. He has four half-siblings from his father’s side. They are named Geoff, Simon, Stan, and Robert Dwight.
About Elton John’s parents
Elton John is the eldest son of Stanley Dwight (father) and the only child of Sheila Eileen (mother). His parents who are both late were said to be musically inclined and had influenced Elton’s interest in music. Elton John’s father died in 1991, while he lost his mother in 2017.
According to reports, Elton John had a strained relationship with his father. It was said that John did not even attend his father’s funeral. The singer wrote about his strained relationship with his father in the 2019 biopic movie “Rocketman”, describing his father’s presence in his life as “cold and distant”.
About Elton John’s siblings
Elton John has four half-siblings from his father’s side. His siblings are named Geoff Dwight, Simon Dwight, Stan Dwight, and Robert Dwight respectively. Elton John reportedly has a distant relationship with his half-siblings probably due to his strained relationship with his father.
About Elton John’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article (September 2023), Elton John is happily married to his gay partner, David Furnish. Before his marriage to David, Elton John was previously married to a woman named Renate Blauel. Blauel is a German sound engineer. John got married to Renate Blauel in 1984 but they divorced after four years of marriage in 1988.
Elton John started dating David Furnish in 1993 and they finally got married in December 2014, following the legalization of gay marriage in England in March 2014. His marriage to David Furnish is blessed with two children which they had via surrogacy.
About Elton John’s sexuality
Elton John initially came out as bisexual in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1976. In another interview with Rolling Stone in 1992, he stated that he’s become comfortable about being gay after his first marriage with Renate Blauel failed.
Elton John caused an uproar in the media when he said that he believed that Jesus Christ was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. His statement didn’t go down well with many Christians who took to several platforms to criticise him.
About Elton John’s marriage with Renate Blauel
Renate Blauel is a German sound engineer. She worked with various famous artists and bands including Elton John in the 70s and 80s. Her full name is Renate Ruth Margot Blauel. She was born on March 1, 1953, in Berlin, Germany. Her father is Joachim Blauel. She is 70 years old as of 2023.
Elton John and Renate Blauel met in 1983 during the making of his 17th studio album “Too Low For Zero”. They dated for about a year; Elton John proposed to Renate in February 1984. The ex-couple got married three days after their engagement on February 14, 1984, in an elaborate wedding ceremony that took place at Darling Point, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Unfortunately, things turned sour between them and they settled for a divorce after four years of marriage in 1988. Renate had claimed that she attempted suicide during their honeymoon in St. Tropez after John told her that he wanted to end the union. According to John, Renate was a classy woman, but the marriage was not meant to be as he was living a lie. He attributed the failure of his marriage to his sexuality, after finally revealing that he is gay in 1992.
Elton John’s ex-wife got $45 million dollars in divorce settlement and would later sue him in 2020 for writing about their relationship in his 2019 book titled “Me: Elton John’s Official Autobiography”. She claimed he had broken the terms of their divorce agreement. The case was later settled out of court that same year.
About Elton John’s marriage with David Furnish
David Furnish is Elton John’s current husband. He is a Canadian-British advertising executive turned filmmaker. He is famously known for directing Elton John’s biographical documentary titled “Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras”. He was born on October 25, 1962, in Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Canada. David Furnish’s parents are Jack Furnish (father) and Gladys Furnish (mother).
David Furnish is 60 years old as of September 2023. He became the chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 2012. His siblings are named John and Peter Furnish respectively. He is a graduate of Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institution in Toronto, Canada.
Elton John and Furnish started their relationship in 1993 after they met at a dinner party organized by a mutual friend. Elton proposed to his lover in May 2005 during a dinner party at their home in Old Windsor. They were among the first couples to form a civil partnership in the UK, at the Windsor Guildhall in December 2005 after the Civil Partnership Act became law.
They made their intention to become legally married known in March 2014 after same-sex marriage became legal in the UK. In December 2014, Elton John and his longtime lover David Furnish tied the knot in a small ceremony at Windsor, Berkshire. The likes of Ed Sheeran, David and Victoria Beckham, Ozzy Osbourne, and many other notable celebrities attended the wedding.
As of the time of writing, Elton John and his partner have been married for 9 years and counting. The couple seems to be enjoying every moment of their union. Elton even made it known in 2021 that he would be quitting his music tour in order to spend more time with his family. Their union is blessed with two sons which they had via surrogacy.
List of Elton John’s other relationships and girlfriends
According to reports gathered by DNB Stories, Elton John had been involved in about three other relationships aside from his marriages to Renate Blauel and David Furnish.
Below is a list of Elton John’s other relationships and girlfriends:
a. Elton John and Linda Hannon (late 60s)
Elton John was in a relationship with Linda Hannon (née Woodrow) in the late 60s. His relationship with Linda is his first publicly known relationship. They also got engaged but never married. He mentioned her in the song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”. Unfortunately, the relationship ended two weeks before their intended wedding ceremony.
b. Elton John and Gary Clarke (early 70s)
Elton John reportedly had a brief relationship with Gary Clarke in the early 70s. Reports had it that the relationship was not made public and it ended quietly after a short period.
c. Elton John and John Reid (1970 – 1975)
Elton John and John Reid dated for 5 years between 1970 to 1975. His relationship with Reid is cited as his first gay relationship and, according to reports, Elton John lost his virginity to Reid the same year they met. They met shortly after Elton’s first American gig in San Francisco in 1970.
Elton John’s children
Elton John shares two children with his husband David Furnish. They had the children via surrogacy. The kids are named Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John respectively. The two boys were born through the same surrogate mother. Aside from his two biological children, Elton has 10 godchildren. Some of his godchildren include Sean Lennon, Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham, and Mandy Stein, amongst others.
a. Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John
Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John is the first surrogate child of Elton John and his husband David Furnish. They had him on December 25, 2010, in California. The boy is 12 years old as of September 2023.
b. Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John
Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John is the second surrogate child Elton shares with his partner, David Furnish. He was born on January 11, 2013. He is 10 years old as of 2023. Just like his elder brother, information about Elijah is scarce in the media.
