How Old Is Elton John?

Sir Elton John is a British singer, pianist, and composer whose career has spanned around half a century. Elton John is widely considered to be one of the most popular musicians of the 20th century and has sold more than 250 million records. He’s also found great success on Broadway, and has an incredible number of movie/television soundtrack credits – totaling more than 400, in fact.

Best known for his eccentric mode of dress and the gap in his front teeth, many fans wonder just how old Elton John is now. During his roughly 50 year career what has Elton John accomplished? We have the answers.

How old is Elton John?

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in England. This makes the multi-talented performer an incredible 71 years old. His career began back in his early twenties, and during that time he has managed to stay both relevant and true to his own style.

It was his debut American album, Elton John, which truly propelled him into being a household name in 1970, however.

What are Elton John’s most famous songs?

Although Elton John has composed and performed numerous songs, his most famous are well-known by multiple generations.

These include the songs Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Little Jeannie, Empty Garden, Philadelphia Freedom, Can You Feel The Love Tonight, and Candle in the Wind. 

‘Billy Elliot’ on Broadway

Billy Elliot was a play that debuted on Broadway in 2008 as an adaptation of the 2000 film of the same name. Elton John composed the musical score for the theater production, which was not only wildly successful but also won an incredible ten Tony awards.

Musical compositions from Billy Elliot include The Stars Look Down, Shine, The Letter, Angry Dance, and Born to Boogie, among others.

Soundtrack compositions

Many people (particularly the younger generation) know Elton John best for his soundtrack compositions, which have appeared in numerous films across multiple genres. This includes Rocketman – a biopic about Elton John himself, which will release to theaters later this year

In 1978, Elton John played some of his most popular songs on an episode of The Muppet Show. In 1994, his songs appeared in the film My Girl 2, and created an all-original musical score for the popular Disney movie, The Lion King. On an interesting note, Elton John will also be composing songs for the new live-action remake Lion King 2019, which is set to debut this year. 

Accolades

Elton John has received several accolades, with no composition winning him more than the work he did on the original Lion King movie. In 1995, the film won him an Oscar for best original song, a Golden Globe for best original song in a motion picture, and a Grammy for best male pop vocal performance for Can You Feel the Love Tonight. 

In 1987, Elton John also received an MTV VMA special recognition award, and in 2010 he won a Gemini for best talk series when he appeared in Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…

Other accomplishments and farewell tour

In 1975, Sir Elton John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1994 he was inducted into the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was knighted by the Queen of England. After an extensive, highly successful career in show business, Elton John had his farewell tour in 2018. He also brought an end to his Las Vegas show, Million Dollar Piano. 

Despite some recent health issues, Elton John did not cite these as his reason for retirement. After marrying his longtime partner, David Furnish, in a civil ceremony in 2005 (and legalizing the ceremony in 2014), John and his husband used a surrogate to help produce two children – Zachary (born 2010) and Elijah (born 2013).

John has stated that his priorities have changes, and he would like to stay home with his husband and children moving forward.