Elton John Biography

Fast Facts

• Won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London at age 11; dropped out in 1964 to pursue a music career
• In 1971, he became the first artist since the Beatles to have four albums on Billboard's top-10 chart simultaneously; starting with 1972's Honky Chateau, he released seven consecutive albums that went to No
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• Made his film acting debut in 1975's Tommy
• Formed the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992; since then, profits from his singles have gone to the foundation
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994
• In 1997, his remake of "Candle in the Wind" in honor of the late Princess Diana became the biggest selling single of all time
• Collaborated with lyricist Tim Rice on five songs for the soundtrack of Disney's animated The Lion King (1994), which sold over 7 million copies
• The movie was subsequently turned into a Tony-winning musical that debuted on Broadway in 1997
• Was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998
• Was so moved by the 2000 film Billy Elliott that he agreed to score the stage adaptation; Billy Elliott the Musical had its Broadway debut in 2008
• Recruited his idol Leon Russell for their album The Union (2010); Cameron Crowe filmed the musical collaboration for the documentary, The Union, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011
• Teamed with Lady Gaga for "Hello, Hello," the theme to his animated feature Gnomeo & Juliet (2011); later asked her to be godmother to his son Zachary