Elton John revealed he was just 24 hours from death as he made a brave sacrifice for his family.
The 76-year-old, who is set to make his Glastonbury debut on Sunday, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, and instead of undergoing gruelling chemotherapy to tackle the disease, Elton opted to have surgery instead, as he didn’t want cancer “hanging over” his family.
At the time, he and husband David Furnish had two young sons - Zachary and Elijah, who were aged 6 and 4 at the time of Elton’s diagnosis.
The Rocket Man hitmaker documented his terrifying health scare in his memoir, Me, and while the operation in Los Angeles was a “complete success”, he began to have serious side effects just 10 days after the op.
Arriving in Las Vegas for a gig at Caesars' Palace, he “noticed something wasn’t right”, and the pain progressed throughout the day, forcing him to wear a “giant nappy” on stage as he still wasn’t feeling well.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever stood in front of 4,000 cheering fans, singing Candle In The Wind while literally p***ing yourself, but if you haven’t, I can tell you for a fact it’s quite an odd experience,” he quipped.
However, his condition became serious, and Elton was rushed to hospital where he feared he was “going to die” after doctors discovered he had a rare complication from his prostate cancer operation.
Alone in hospital, the music icon was terrified and began praying for his life to be spared.
“In the hospital, alone at the dead of night, I’d prayed: please don’t let me die, please let me see my kids again, please give me a little longer,” he wrote.
The Tiny Dancer singer, who is currently on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, said his recovery following his operation and near-death experience helped him heal, mentally and physically.
“In a strange way, it felt like the time I spent recuperating was the answer to my prayers: if you want more time, you need to learn to live like this, you have to slow down,” he mused.
Elton said it was this health scare that prompted him to announce his retirement.
“It was like being shown a different life, a life I realised I loved more than being on the road,” he added.
“Music was the most wonderful thing, but it still didn’t sound as good as Zachary chattering about what had happened at Cubs or football practice,” the proud dad shared.
