Today is the birthday of our bedazzled king and our favorite diva, Sir Elton John. Elton John is known almost equally for his brilliant music as he is for his tantrums, outfits and stories.
In honor of this Aries man and a very important birthday, here are the top 11 reasons why Elton is an undeniable icon, despite his dramatic tendencies.
1. Elton was not born “Elton.” He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Middlesex, England. When Reg Dwight began to gain traction as a talented musician, he began to play in local bands. One of these bands had a saxophone player named Elton Dean. He took a liking to the name Elton as a stage name. The ‘John’ came from Long John Baldry, the singer of the band. This band was called Bluesology, and really helped pitch the new Elton John into the spotlight. (He became Sir Elton John in 1998 when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Oh, and his chosen middle name is Hercules.)
2. Every celeb has their signature accessory, and for Elton John it’s his shades. Elton owns more than 1,000 pairs of sunglasses. In 2013 he denied claims that he always booked a second hotel room just to store his glasses in.
3. Elton has impeccable, sometimes questionable, style. He once entered rehab in a chicken costume. According to The Guardian, John made at least one attempt to get clean in the early '90s. During this instance, he reportedly arrived from a show wearing a chicken costume. If he was putting himself into rehab, you better believe he was doing it in style.
4. We know Elton is quite the performer, but he has much noteworthy experience behind the scenes as well. Elton John wrote the stage music for The Lion King, which was named the highest-grossing production in theater history, earning over $1 billion (and counting).
5. Elton has a few famous god children, including Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Romeo Beckham, the children of David and Victoria Beckham.
6. John Lennon and Elton were actually very close friends. John Lennon persuaded Elton to be featured on his song “Whatever Gets You Through The Night,” after agreeing to a sneaky bet proposed by Elton. Elton had bet Lennon that if the song reached #1 Lennon had to join him on stage. In 1974 at Madison Square Garden, John reluctantly and nervously joined Elton on stage for what was his last major live performance.
7. Elton John has a wide array of celebrity companions. One of the most surprising and unknown? Eminem. Elton is Eminem’s AA sponsor, and they have now been friends for close to 20 years.
8. A generally dramatic man, and a walking controversy at times, Elton doesn’t mind pissing people off. In 2010 he infuriated some Christian groups by calling Jesus a “compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.” This mostly annoyed those who didn't support gay marriage; and I doubt Elton was ever worries about keeping that group content.
9. Rod Stewart and Elton John have a fierce rivalry. John once hired a sniper to shoot down balloons that Rod Stewart had launched into the sky to promote a concert. When Rod put up a huge banner for his “Blondes Have More Fun Tour,” Elton put a banner on a building across the street that said, “But Brunettes Make More Money.”
10. Rod Stewart was not Elton’s only rival. Even more famously, Elton had it out for Madonna. Elton sparked the feud at the 2004 Q Awards, announcing during his own acceptance speech: “"Madonna, best live act? F**k off. Since when has lip-syncing been live?” He went on to label Madonna a “fairground stripper”, a “c***” and “a nightmare”. He offered some advice for her Super Bowl Halftime Show on Good Morning America: “Make sure you lip-sync good.”
After years of drama (mostly one sided), Elton called a truce in 2012. He ran into Madonna in France and apologized, and offered to buy her dinner. Elton paying for a French dinner? I'd happily take the verbal abuse.
11. Perhaps Elton’s most notorious tantrum was when he called up a member of the hotel staff at the Inn Park, London, complaining about the wind. Elton remembers, "I rang the office and spoke to a guy called Robert Keown and I said, 'Robert, it's far too windy here, can you do something about it?' And I can imagine him putting his hand over the receiver going, 'he's finally lost the plot'.”
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