EXCLUSIVE: Elton John's On Stage 'Assassination' Revealed — Band Feared He'd Been SHOT After Attack That Left Him 'Unconscious and Pouring Blood'
Elton John once 'blacked out' in the middle of a show in North Carolina after someone threw a metal pipe onstage.
Dec. 5 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Elton John sparked fears he had been assassinated on stage by a crazed fan – after he was left with blood streaming down his face in a shocking gig attack.
The Rocket Man, 77, was hauled away from his piano in the middle of a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, after members of his band thought he had been shot, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The British legend checked into rehab and got sober after a young man died of AIDS in the 1990s.
It later emerged a drug user in the crowd had chucked a metal hash pipe at him that struck him directly in the temple – causing the music legend to "black out" while blood poured down the side of his face.
John said: "Fans have often thrown things onstage when I'm playing, but usually it's been something reasonably soft. Not in Greensboro.
"As we plowed through a rendition of Burn Down the Mission, someone hurled a metal hash pipe toward the stage from the crowd. I didn't see it coming."
John now says the incident has become one of his 'favorite' tour memories.
He continued: "The silver pipe smashed against my temple, drawing blood, and I completely blacked out. The band kept playing because it took them a second to realize what had happened.
"They told me later they thought I'd been shot because they saw blood pouring down my face."
John added his bodyguard at the time, Jim Morris – a former Mr Universe – was a big part of his show.
After John was knocked out, Morris Dragged him, in his full feathered suit, to the side of the Coliseum stage.
John recalled: "There were feathers everywhere. A paramedic was bandaging my head."
Despite the circumstances, John said it has now become one of his "favorite" memories during his time on tour.
He details the incident in his new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which is packed with shocking moments from his time on the road as a global sensation – including a recollection of how he battled painful vocal cysts during a run of shows in Australia.
The singer reflected he didn't like the man he had become on drugs.
The I'm Still Standing hitmaker said while he had battled vocal fatigue before, things got more serious once his tour hit Sydney.
On the first night between shows, John said he realized he needed medical attention when he "coughed and spat up wads of gunk".
He explained how he "couldn't carry on croaking his way through shows", adding he went to see a doctor in Sydney who found cysts on his vocal cords.
While the doctor told John to cancel the rest of his shows throughout the week, the singer sharply refused, writing: "Too many people were involved in the tour and too much money was at stake. And I still wanted to sing.
"By the last night of the tour, scheduled for December 14, I was exhausted and in pain. I could barely get words out."
John said the show was also being broadcast live on television – which was daunting for him.
He admitted: "I didn't know if I could do it. But I turned around before I even made it to the car. If this was going to be my final show, I was going to go out with a bang."
While the singer found the courage to go on with the show, things took a turn when he got to one of his most famous hits.
He said: "As we performed, I could feel myself falter on Rocket Man. I worried the audience would be put off by my voice.
"But I didn't want to give up mid-show. I always believe in giving the fans my absolute best, and that's what I did that night."
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Three weeks after his shows in Australia, John had throat surgery and was able to continue touring – although he said the sound of his voice had changed slightly.
John has suffered brutal health problems for years and recently lost his eyesight. He now has "low vision" after picking up a bacterial infection in France in his right eye earlier this year that has since spread to both.
The rocker has battled a series of health issues over the years, including the recent loss of his eyesight.
The update on the rocker's health comes after he was previously undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
Other health-related issues John faced in the latter part of his life include contracting pneumonia in 2020 and getting a stent to widen the arteries to his heart in 1999.
He also underwent hip and knee replacements, along with having undiagnosed appendicitis – which nearly killed him in 2013.
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