Sir Elton John has sadly suffered a decline in health over recent years, leaving the star frightful over his future with his family. On Friday night, the music legend made an emotional revelation on BBC's The Graham Norton Show, where he appeared with collaborator Brandi Carlile to promote their upcoming track 'Who Believes In Angels?', due out on April 4. The 77-year-old confessed that he "lost it" and needed comforting for 45 minutes when the new song made him confront his own mortality. "Bernie Taupin (Elton's lyricist) gave me a lyric for a song called, 'When This Whole World Is Done With Me', and I'm writing the verse (music) quite quickly, and I think this is a really lovely verse," Elton recalled during his time on Graham's couch.
He continued: "And then I get to the chorus, and I find that it's about my death, my demise. And as a 76 year old man, which I was at that time, and having children and having a husband, mortality, and you think about, 'How long have I got? How long? I hope I've got, much longer than maybe I've got.'. "And so by the time I got to the chorus and suddenly realised that I started singing it (and) I lost it for 45 minutes. It was a very, very heavy moment for me," he admitted. He added: "After 45 minutes of being consoled, I was okay, but I recorded the next day...when you're singing about being washed out to sea and the end of your life, it took me by surprise.".
Last year, he stunned fans when he revealed he couldn't see live on stage. The musician was welcoming fans to the West End production of musical he wrote, The Devil Wears Prada, starring Vanessa Williams, when he admitted "lost his eyesight and can't see the stage". The RocketMan star's legion of loyal fans sent their well wishes to Elton after he made the admission on stage in London while supported by his husband, David Furnish. However, the star has been battling a number of health woes over the years.
In October, Elton took to social media, saying: "To be honest with you, there's not much of me left. I don't have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don't have a prostate. I don't have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee. In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I'm still here.". So, as we send the I'm Still Standing star our well wishes, here's the singer's health battles in full, including his recent battle with blindness...
Elton revealed he had lost his sight after contracting an infection while holidaying in the South of France. Taking to Instagram in September, the star said: "Over the summer, I've been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it's an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.
"I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far. With love and gratitude.". Speaking at the theatre on the weekend, the star admitted his condition had not improved, telling fans: "I've lost my eyesight and cannot see the stage." He went on to say: "As some of you may know I have had issues and now I have lost my sight. I haven't been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it. To my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews... it's hard for me to see it but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight OK. Thank you for coming!".
Elton was forced to postpone shows on his summer tour after coming down with appendicitis in 2013. Insisting the star made "superhuman efforts" to try and perform, his rep said in a statement: “Elton is incredibly disappointed to postpone these tour dates. To know that he made such superhuman efforts and continued to perform to thousands through his illness only confirms his dedication to his European fans.
"He is eager to be back on top form and return to play the remaining shows starting in early September 2013.” The Your Song star underwent surgery to remove his appendix in July 2013. Dad-of-two Elton was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in early 2000. Revealing he had made a drastic change to his diet in an effort to control his blood sugar levels, the star recently admitted it had been a "long time" since he'd enjoyed a sweet treat.
Speaking on Lady Ruth Rogers' Ruthie's Table 4 podcast, he said: "I can have an apple, I can eat a bit of melon. As long as you're sensible about it, it doesn't shoot your blood sugar up. But what I crave is chocolate and ice cream, I can't have any ice cream.". He continued: "If I had a death row meal, it wouldn't contain anything except sweets, because I can't eat them now. So, I'd have ice cream, donuts, apple pie, rhubarb crumble.".
