Sir Elton John’s candid observation: ‘I don’t know how much time I have left’

Sir Elton John reflects on his own mortality, saying: “I don’t know how much time I have left,” in footage from a new documentary.

The film, titled Elton John: Never Too Late, has been directed by RJ Cutler and Sir Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and looks back over his decades-long career.

Footage also captures him preparing for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, having performed two sold-out concerts at the venue back in 1975.

Sir Elton, 77, says: “I wonder what is going to happen to all of this stuff when I finish? This is the latter time of my life. I don’t know how much time I have left.

“And you think about that more when you get to my age. You think about life and death. You think: Well, I just want to be where I want to be now.

“I don’t have to work after this tour. I will be working doing records and putting radio shows together, and doing other things, but travelling takes so much out of you.

“It is very tiring. I am used to it and I am a veteran at it… but this is where you start to think about mortality.”

Sir Elton says in the documentary that his children, sons Zachary and Elijah, “think about his mortality”.

He explains: “They worry about my mortality because they know how old I am.“Not so much David, but me, 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, but I don’t think I am going to be around for that, who knows, you never know.

“So that’s why I want to make the best of my time while I am around….time together is so wonderful and so precious.”

The documentary, which streams on Disney+ from December 13, was screened earlier in the week during the BFI London Film Festival.

Speaking at the London Film festival, Sir Elton shared that his favourite part was when his sons FaceTimed him in the studio while he was working with Britney Spears.

In 2022, the Rocketman singer and Spears collaborated on Hold Me Closer, which mixed Sir Elton’s 1971 hit Tiny Dancer with his 1992 song The One, with parts of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart from 1976 also featured in the track.

He added at LFF: “I come off stage for the last time in America, and Dodger Stadium again, where I have the most wonderful life. No sadness, just happiness, family, children, husband, friends, sobriety. It was a hell of a difference.

“And it’s shown in two pieces – what can happen to people who aren’t really, I wasn’t prepared for the success I had, I loved it, but the back end of it, or the bad side of it, was that all I had was music, and there was nothing else and no foundation whatsoever.

“So they captured it brilliantly, and I really didn’t have much to do with it. I let them get on with it.”

Earlier this year, Sir Elton became the 19th performer to earn the coveted EGOT status – a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

His headline set at Glastonbury in 2023 marked his last UK performance as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He was honoured with the Legacy award at this year’s Attitude Awards.

Elton John: Never Too Late will launch on Disney+ on Friday December 13