‘I don’t want to die’: Sir Elton John reflects on his mortality in moving discussion

After celebrating his 78th birthday, Sir Elton John has been reflecting on his life, legacy, and mortality, recently sharing how much he doesn’t want to die.

The pop icon, who is married to David Furnish and has children Zachary, 14, and Elijah, 11, recently teamed up with Brandi Carlile to write the track Never Too Late. The song, which explores his bond with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, acted as a catalyst for his reflections on mortality.

“It’s a song that’s just as much about Bernie as it is about me. It’s about both of us and how wonderful our love and friendship has been and our songwriting, what we’ve done and what we’ve achieved,” he said.

“I can’t imagine my life without him in it. When you get to a certain age…I’m not sentimental at all but suddenly you think ‘I don’t ever…I want my boys to be in my life forever, I want David to be in my life.

“I want my friends.

“I don’t want to die. Unfortunately, we do. Unless there’s some sort of pill around the corner!”

While Sir Elton has achieved incredible success in music, he has said that none of it compares to the importance of his family life. In a rare moment of vulnerability, he shared the deeply moving message he hopes will grace his tombstone, reflecting these priorities.

During a recent one-off show at the London Palladium, he expressed a desire to be remembered as a good father.

”On my tombstone, I want nothing to do with Crocodile f***ing Rock. I just want it to say: “He was a great dad”,” he told the audience.

In addition to reflecting on his own mortality, the Tiny Dancer singer has talked openly about his recent vision problems, sharing that while there have been some “miserable” days, he remains “optimistic” about his recovery.

He revealed in an Instagram post in September 2024 that his vision had been affected in his right eye after contracting an infection.

“Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye,” he explained at the time.

“I am healing but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.’

“I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks.”

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Sir Elton gave further insight into how he’s coping with his vision challenges while maintaining an upbeat attitude.

“I’m an optimist permanently,” he told the publication.

“I’ve got bad eyesight at the moment. There have been days where I’ve been miserable, but then I think about how lucky I am. I’ve got a new respect for sight-impaired people and people who are totally blind, some of whom I’m in touch with.

“But to hell with it, I’ve got a great life, and hopefully my sight will improve.”

-with BANG.