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Elton John is a clear example of a music legend, but he’s unquestionably more than a good voice & piano talent. Can we talk about him being a stylish queer icon who created the diva personality? Sometimes, all we need to celebrate diversity is to watch someone else doing it. His feather boa gave symbolic permission to be loudly queer to a whole generation, something similar to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”.
It’s 2022, and there’s more sexual diversity represented in T.V. shows, and even an entire month of the year dedicated to “pride”. However, none of this would be possible without figures like Elton John, David Bowie, or Freddie Mercury. Which not only showed their talent to the world but changed the economic possibilities of an entire community.
It’s always important to have talented queer icons who stand for diversity, but that also reach wealth. This is the only way to change the historical narrative of the world to being earned by powerful cisgender straight men. Because of this, exploring Elton John’s net worth is certainly more interesting than with any traditional celebrity.
Timeline: from young prodigy to substance abuse
Elton John showed a talent for the piano since he was four years old, and by age eleven he had already gotten a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music in London. But Elton John’s free spirit inspired him to leave school at age seventeen and perform in a hotel’s bar instead. In 1961, he joined a band called “Bluesology” for three years, with John Baldry & Elton Dean, from whom he took his artistic name.
In 1974, he signed a contract valued at eight million dollars with MCA, he also wrote a song with John Lennon, who he performed with at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, Elton John had a difficult period after that, dealing with bulimia & substance abuse, because of that, he temporarily retired from concerts in 1977.
In 1987, Elton John passed through a throat surgery that would change his voice forever, but wouldn’t stop him from reappearing a year later. During his career, he has toured with figures like Billy Joel and shared the stage with present-day celebrities like Lady Gaga & Dua Lipa. He has also interpreted the music of several movies and has a movie about his life as well (Rocketman from Dexter Fletcher).
Silence = Death
Being politically active might feel like a must when you have such power & visibility, regardless, most celebrities are only celebrities. Several gay artists, HIV positive or not, tend to support this cause. In 1992, the singer set up the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Elton John has always been open about his sexual orientation, in fact, he said he waited to be asked by the press. However, it didn’t happen until 1976 during a Rolling Stone interview by journalist Cliff Jahr. Later on, in 1988, he admitted being gay.
In 2005, Elton John got married to his long-time partner David Furnish, with whom he had a son named Zachary. Nevertheless, things weren’t always this happy. The singer says that he passed through homophobic violence in America when some radio stations would play his songs.
The richest gay man in the world?
It’d be risky to say that Elton John is the richest gay man, but at least he describes himself as “the most famous gay in the world”. The singer is currently 74 and has more than fifty years of career, more than thirty studio albums, and sold more than 300 million copies around the world.
Elton John is among the top five best-selling musicians in history with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles. As a living legend, he’s currently one of the highest-paid celebrities, receiving $80 million for a touring year.
He definitely is one of the most successful singers, with a complex and rich trajectory, but what is his net worth? Elton John’s net worth is estimated to be $500 million.
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Are you an Elton John fan? what do you think about his life and net worth? Tell us in the comments below!
What is Elton John’s current net worth?
Source: Kalayaan News PH
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