Sir Elton John’s candid observation: ‘I don’t know how much time I have left’

Sir Elton John reflects on his own mortality, saying, “I don’t know how much time I have left,” in footage from a new documentary.

The film, titled Elton John: Never Too Late, was directed by RJ Cutler and Sir Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and looks back on his decades-long career.

The footage also shows him preparing for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, after playing two sold-out concerts there in 1975.

Sir Elton, 77, said: “I wonder what’s going to happen to all this when I’m done? This is the last period of my life. I don’t know how much time I have left.

“And you think about it more when you get to my age. You think about life and death. You think: Well, I just want to be where I want to be now.

“I don’t need to work after this tour. I’ll work on records and put on radio shows and do other things, but traveling takes so much out of you.

“It’s very tiring. I’m used to it and I’m a veteran of it… but this is where you start to think about mortality.

Sir Elton says in the documentary that his children, sons Zachary and Elijah, “think about his mortality.”

He explains: “They worry about my mortality because they know how old I am.
“Not so much David, but me, they love their dad so they want me to be there forever.

“I would love to be here forever. I want to see them have kids and get married, but I don’t think I’ll be there for that, who knows, you never know.

“That’s why I want to make the most of my time while I’m here…time together is so wonderful and so precious.”

The documentary, streaming on Disney+ from December 13, was screened earlier in the week at the BFI London Film Festival.

Speaking at the London Film Festival, Sir Elton said his favorite moment was when his sons FaceTimed him in the studio while he was working with Britney Spears.

In 2022, the Rocketman singer and Spears collaborated on Hold Me Closer, which mixed Sir Elton’s 1971 hit Tiny Dancer with his 1992 song The One, with parts of 1976’s Don’t Go Breaking My Heart also featured in the piece.

He added to LFF: “I’m walking off stage for the last time in America, and again at Dodger Stadium, where I have the most wonderful life. No sadness, just happiness, family, children, husband, friends, sobriety. It was quite a difference.

“And it’s shown in two parts – what can happen to people who aren’t really, I wasn’t prepared for the success I had, I loved it, but the back side, or the bad side was that all I had was music, and there was nothing else or any basis.

“So they captured it brilliantly, and I really didn’t have much to do with it. I let them do it. »

Earlier this year, Sir Elton became the 19th artist to achieve the coveted EGOT status – winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

Her headline performance at Glastonbury in 2023 marked her final UK performance as part of her Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He received the Legacy Award at this year’s Attitude Awards.

Elton John: Never Too Late launches on Disney+ on Friday, December 13