What better way to kick off Pride Month than by honoring the contributions of Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE to the performing arts?
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England, Elton John is most well-known for his illustrious music career, where he is recognized for his distinctive style of piano playing and his wildly theatrical costumes. As W magazine’s Brooke Marine put it, “Choosing the flashiest look worn by Elton John is a difficult task. […] John has made his mark as the pop star who will stop at nothing to incorporate feathers, sparkles, and those iconic, larger-than-life tinted spectacles into his wardrobe.”
With his lyricist since 1967, Bernie Taupin, John has recorded more than 30 albums. He has sold over 300 million records and had more than fifty Top 40 hits, including 7 number ones in the UK and 9 number ones in the U.S. He was won 5 Grammys, 5 Brit Awards, 2 Academy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, 1 Tony Award, the Disney Legend Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor.
Elton John made his first foray into film and theater when he partnered with Tim Rice to write the music for The Lion King in 1994. The movie was wildly popular – at the Academy Awards that year, three of the five songs nominated for Best Original Song were from The Lion King. Can You Feel the Love Tonight won the award, as well as garnering Elton John a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The movie was turned into a Broadway musical in 1997.
He and Tim Rice teamed up again in 1999 to write the music and lyrics for the musical Aida, and received the Tony Award for Best Original Score. The show also won Best Actress in a Musical (Heather Headley), Best Scenic Design, and Best Lighting Design.
Another of John’s successful contributions to musical theater was Billy Elliot the Musical (2005) which debuted in London’s West End. It was later produced on Broadway where it won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Lestat: The Musical, written with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, was an uncharacteristic flop and closed in May 2006 after just 39 performances.
Openly gay since 1988, John has been with his partner David Furnish since 1993. They entered into a civil partnership in the UK in 2005 and were officially married in 2014 on the 9th anniversary of their civil partnership. The pair have two sons, Zachary and Elijah, and John is godfather to ten children. After the deaths of good friends Ryan White in 1990 and Freddie Mercury in 1991, Elton John became more actively involved in the fight against AIDS. He established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised more than $600 million for HIV-related programs around the world. At the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2012, John said “Everyone deserves compassion. Everyone deserves dignity. Everyone, everyone, everyone deserves love. Why am I telling you this? Because the Aids disease is caused by a virus, but the AIDS epidemic is not. The AIDS epidemic is fuelled by stigma, violence. “
