HEALTHElton John Celebrates 30 Years of Sobriety, Feels He's a "Blessed" Man
Elton John has been sober for 30 years and is grateful about it.
The legendary 73-year-old singer and songwriter took to Instagram on Wednesday to say that he had a "magical day" while celebrating 30 years of sobriety with his husband David Furnish and kids Zachary, 9, and Elijah, 7.
John shared some pictures of the event, his token of sobriety, and other gifts that he had received for the special day.
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"Reflecting on the most magical day having celebrated my 30th Sobriety Birthday. So many lovely cards, flowers and chips from my sons, David, friends in the Program, staff at the office and in our homes," he wrote on Instagram.
He added that he's truly a "blessed man", and that he'd be "dead" if not for his decision to embark on a life of sobriety thirty years ago.
"Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way," he wrote.
The star's addiction to alcohol and drugs was the subject of the 2019 biopic Rocketman starring Taron Egerton.
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John told The Sun in 2019 that he wanted his biopic to be realistic, and wanted it to portray even the darker moments of his life.
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"Some studios wanted to tone down the sex and drugs so the film would get a PG-13 rating. But I just haven't led a PG-13 rated life," he said.
John had opened up about his decision to quit cocaine after 18-year-old Ryan White from Indiana had contracted AIDS from a contaminated blood transfusion.
"When he died, being there in Indianapolis and coming back to the hotel complaining about the wallpaper, the décor in the room and thinking, 'You are the most ungrateful little bastard,''' he told NBC's Harry Smith.
ELTON JOHN & TARON EGERTON COORDINATE SUITS AT THE ‘ROCKETMAN’ PHOTOCALL IN NICE
"You complain about everything. This boy has never complained about contracting HIV and AIDS from a blood transfusion. He's never complained."
John also said that drug addiction was the "biggest regret" of his life.
"My biggest regret is taking drugs, but, having said that, all of the pain and all the bad behavior, all the self-hatred I went through to get to where I got now, I got sober and I learned to live my life," he said.
After John made The One, his first record after deciding to get sober, he admitted that he was used to making records under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and now that he was completely sober, it was tough.
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"But I managed to come up with a good song, which was the title of the record. ‘The North’ I love a lot; that’s my favorite song without question. Then, of course, afterward, The Lion King came along and all hell broke loose,” he said.
On Friday, the star's ongoing Classic Concert Series will air one of his most memorable concerts from 2000 in Madison Square Garden, featuring Billy Joel Mary J. Blige, Kiki Dee and other stars. It will air at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on YouTube.
