It’s always sad when an entertainer grows older and we have to watch as someone we love is struggling. Even though we may not ever have met them in person, it is still something that affects us on a personal level.
One entertainer who has had his share of medical and mental health problems over the years is Elton John. The musician has entertained us for decades, but that doesn’t mean that he has always done so without stress.
In the new TV documentary, ‘Elton John: Never Too Late’, he talks about his life. He mentions that he has had worries about getting older, and his kids feel the same way.
Elton John is a husband and a dad. He has two sons with his partner, David Furnish. He shared that his boys, Zachary and Elijah, are worried about him getting older.
He said: “They worry because they know how old I am. It’s not so much David, but me. They love their Daddy, so they want me to be around forever. I don’t know how much time I have left.”
Even though it sounded a bit sad, he expressed that he wishes to be around forever and wants to witness important moments in their lives. He said: “I want to see them get married and have kids, but I don’t think I will be around for that. Who knows? You never know.”
At the premiere of his documentary in October 2024, he humorously talked about his health issues. Reflecting on past surgeries, he joked: “I don’t have tonsils, adenoids, or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip, a left knee, or a right knee.
“Actually, the only thing I have left is my left hip. But I’m still here.”
He mentioned this because he had a hip replacement after falling on a hard surface in 2021. Later, he suffered a serious eye infection that affected his vision. Hopefully, that situation will improve.
On Instagram, he mentioned that he was ‘dealing with a serious eye infection that has sadly left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am recovering, but it’s a really slow process and it will take some time before my sight comes back in the affected eye.’
In 1975, he overdosed on Valium and fell into a swimming pool. Since that time, he has faced challenges with both physical and mental health issues.
As shown in his movie, Rocketman, he also tried to take his own life after a two-week binge. After that, he sought help for bulimia and went to rehab in 1990.
In 2008, he suffered from a ‘serious E. coli infection’ and had to cancel some shows in the UK and the United States. Four years later, he ended up in the hospital with a respiratory infection.
Health problems kept coming until 2013, when he had to postpone a tour because he needed to have his appendix taken out. Then in 2017, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer while planning his farewell tour.
Even with that diagnosis, he was back on stage just 10 days later. He preferred to have his prostate removed instead of going through chemotherapy.
More shows were canceled in 2018 due to an ear infection, and a hip injury made him postpone some of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour dates from 2021 to 2023.
As you can see, he has faced many challenges in life, but he sees himself as a survivor. He said: “I’ve survived a lot of things. Life is full of obstacles, even when you’re sober. I can handle them now because I don’t have to run away and hide.”
He also shared that he knew what he wanted on his gravestone. It was five simple words, “he was a great dad.”
