NEWSElton John, 78, Admits He Cried for 45 Minutes as He Thought About His Mortality: I Don't 'Have Much Time Left'
Elton John cried when reflecting on how little time he has left on his 78th birthday.
March 25 2025, Published 6:03 p.m. ET
Elton John is still standing — but for how much longer?
The "Rocket Man" singer turned 78 on March 25, and he confessed that he cried for 45 minutes while reflecting on the milestone.
Elton John cried when reflecting on how little time he has left on his 78th birthday.
John — who releases a new album titled Who Believes In Angels? on April 4 — reflected on the emotional experience he had practicing his new song with collaborator and U.S. folk singer Brandi Carlile. Longtime producer Bernie Taupin gave him the lyrics, "When this old world is done with me," and the meaning behind them caused the singer to break down.
“I get to the chorus and of course it's about my death. And when you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’" the five-time Grammy Award winner admitted on the "Smartless" podcast. “And you've got children, you've got a wonderful husband, you just think about mortality. And so when I got to the chorus, I just broke down for 45 minutes and it's all on film.”
The artist was referring to footage in his documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, which was released in October 2024 on Disney+. The movie tracks his 50-year career in music as he gets ready for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Elton John is releasing a new album with Brandi Carlile on April 4.
“I want everybody to see it because it's really human, like deeply flawed and embarrassing," said Carlile, 43, of her friend's teary moment. "And the kind of s--- that you do when you forget that there is a camera on is what's really interesting."
The "Right On Time" singer revealed that John's voice started to shake at the end of the chorus, as he had a "real moment" of reflection.
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Elton John turned 78 on March 25.
John recorded his new album with Carlile in just 20 days, despite his continued struggle with his eyesight. In September 2024, an infection left him with limited vision in his right eye. He later disclosed that a few months earlier, he lost vision in that eye completely.
The specific diagnosis of the infection has not been made public.
Elton John revealed he's blind in his right eye after an infection.
The music industry icon wrapped his goodbye tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, in July 2023 with a final performance in Stockholm, Sweden. This was the English musician's 49th concert tour to date, taking place over five years with 330 shows. Inspired by his 1973 album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the concert series earned over $939 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all time.
