Singing superstar Sir Elton John, who turns 78 today (March 25), revealed he had a “whirlwind romance” with the late Beatles singer John Lennon.
In December 1980, Lennon was shot dead when he returned to his apartment in New York. At the time of his death, he was only 40 years old.
Throughout his legendary music career, he collaborated with many established stars, including Elton, with whom he formed a strong friendship.
Elton John ‘whirlwind romance’ with John Lennon
During a conversation with Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, for BBC Radio 2 in 2020, Elton revealed he and his father had a strong connection.
After the pair first met in 1973, Elton told Sean: “That was the kind of wonderful two or three-year whirlwind romance we had, and it was such an important thing in my life, Sean, and it just really helped me. It gave me so much confidence. Your dad was as kind and as generous and sweet and we just hit it off immediately.”
Sean then informed Elton of how much his father admired his talents. He expressed: “My dad, when he first heard your voice, he was in America, I think already, and he was thinking that’s the first new kind of British singing that he really liked and dug. I think he said that he loved your music and the songs and he liked the song, Your Song.”
As their bond strengthened, they began collaborating. Elton was invited to perform on Lennon’s fifth album, Walls and Bridges, for the song Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.
Lennon also made an appearance at Elton’s Madison Square Garden show in New York, which he said was a “dream come true”.
‘We laughed so much’
As he continued to reminisce over their friendship, Elton added: “We laughed so much because we talked about the 1950s and 1960s and where we grew up, you know, Round the Horne in England, the radio shows we liked, the songs we liked, we didn’t like, and your dad was just a fountain of knowledge. It was a hand in glove thing and I never thought that would ever happen.”
Elton recalled Lennon having “no attitude”, insisting he hates “posers”.
Following his shocking death, Elton penned the song Empty Garden in honour of him. After not being able to attend his vigil due to being on tour in Australia, the I’m Still Standing hitmaker decided to arrange his own service in a cathedral in Melbourne.
Elton, to this day, rarely sings Empty Garden as he insisted it “moves me so much”.
Read more: Elton John admits his children ‘worry’ about his ‘mortality’ amid health woes
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