Did you know his tribute single to Princess Diana in 1997 sold over 33 million copies worldwide?
Sir Elton Hercules John, known as Elton John, was born on 25 March 1947 as Reginald Kenneth Dwight. The renowned singer, pianist and composer, who has been collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, is certainly one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide.
On his 76th birthday today, it cannot be ruled out that his showmanship has had a significant impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with Taupin has been etched in history. With more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, he is well-known across the world for his music. In fact, his track "Candle in the Wind 1997", which was a rewritten version of his 1974 single and a tribute single to Princess Diana, managed to sell 33 million copies worldwide. It is also touted to be the best-selling chart single of all time.
As for his early life, he was raised in the Pinner suburb of London, and ended up winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His debut album was ‘Empty Sky’ in 1969, and a year later, he released his first hit single, "Your Song".
His streak of chart-topping albums in the US and UK, started off with ‘Honky Château’ (1972) and ended with ‘Rock of the Westies’ (1975). He has composed music for several films and theatre, including ‘The Lion King’, ‘Aida’, and ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’. Having won five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, among others, he was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
On the personal front, he has been in a civil partnership with Canadian filmmaker David Furnish since 2005, and they got married in 2014.
Outside of music, Sir Elton John has been involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s, and established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.
