EXCLUSIVE: Dying Sir Elton John's Tour Agony Exposed — Rocker Secretly Battled Cysts and Excruciating Pain to Please Crowds and Hide Failing Health
In his book, John also opens up about battling painful vocal cysts that left him nearly mute while performing a few shows in Australia.
Dec. 4 2024, Published 12:29 p.m. ET
British rocker Elton John has always refused to let health woes stand in the way of giving fans his all.
The musician, who rose to fame in the late '70s, once powered through serious and "painful" vocal cysts during a run of shows in Sydney, Australia that left him nearly mute, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
'I want to make the best of my time while I am around,' the iconic hitmaker recently said.
In his new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, John spoke about the immense difficulty of singing through his health crisis during one particular show – but stressed he was still determined to give fans everything, despite the haunting thought it might be his last performance.
The I'm Still Standing hitmaker said that while he had battled vocal fatigue before, things got more serious once his tour hit Sydney.
The singer's failing health forced him to retire from touring after decades on the road.
He wrote: "I've performed with an orchestra several times in my career, and it's always slightly nerve-racking. But on this occasion, I was also struggling with my voice.
"I'd been dealing with vocal fatigue for several years, going so far as to remain completely silent when not onstage, but in Sydney, it came to a head. Whenever I opened my mouth to sing, I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.
"Sometimes I was fine, and sometimes I would just wheeze and rasp. My voice was completely ravaged by the time the Sydney shows came around."
The five-time Grammy winner said on the first night between shows, he knew 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.
He wrote: "Too many people were involved in the tour and too much money was at stake. And I still wanted to sing.
The British singer said meeting Lev was when he realized he wanted to be a father.
"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 being broadcast live on television and was later released as Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The ordeal was so "daunting" to John that he "rushed out" of the Sydney Entertainment Centre only minutes before he and the orchestra were scheduled to start.
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 John found the courage to go on with the show, things took a turn when he got to one of his most famous songs.
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."
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, only surviving because of one secret key: love from his family and friends.
The hitmaker recently lost his eyesight, being hit with "low vision" after picking up a bacterial infection in France in his right eye earlier this year that has since spread to both.
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 one hip and two knee replacements, and an undiagnosed appendicitis which nearly killed him in 2013.
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He revealed earlier this year: "I don't have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don't have a prostate. I don't have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee. In fact, the only thing left of me is my left hip. But I'm still here."
Despite it all, John has received plenty of support from his husband, David Furnish, their two sons: Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, and supporters all around the world, which have helped the songwriter continue to remain hopeful during his health battles.
The singer said he felt a close bond with his LGBTQ+ fans in Russia and felt they needed his support.
In September, John also hinted at his morality especially following his numerous health battles.
He said: "The boys think about my mortality. They worry about my mortality. They love their daddy, so they want me to be around forever. I would love to be around forever.
"I want to see them have children and get married. I don't think I'm going to be around for that. Who knows? You never know."
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