After nearly five decades of touring the world, Sir Elton John has recently announced that
he'll be taking a step away from the stage following his three-year tour, Farewell: Yellow
Brick Road. While many were initially shocked, Elton's reasoning was something no one could
compete with: he simply wants to spend more time with his children and husband, David
Furnish.
David, a Toronto native, is a film maker, producer, and director. He famously directed
Elton's documentary Tantrum & Tiaras in 1997. Other films of David's include Pride and Predator,
Gnomeo and Juliet, and It's a Boy Girl Thing.
Elton and David met in 1993. Elton went back to his house in Windsor for a while. He wanted
to meet new people, so he rang up a friend in London and said, 'Could you, please, rattle
some new people together for dinner here Saturday?" One of the person at the dinner party was
his future husband, David. Elton was attracted to David immediately. He was very well dressed,
very shy. The next night they had dinner. And one dinner led to 24 years of love. Twelve
years after meeting, Elton popped the question at a dinner party at one of their Windsor
homes in May 2005. On December 21, 2005, they were one of the first UK couples to form a
civil partnership. They got married nine years later — to the date — once gay marriage
became legal in the UK.
Today, David serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS charity and is a contributing editor
to Tatler and a regular columnist for GQ. Together, Elton and David use their voices
for good, working on behalf of the AIDS Foundation. Every year, they host a black tie event to
raise millions of dollars for the foundation that's near and dear to Elton's heart. In
2014, the couple was honored with the Human Rights Campaign Equality Award.
When reflecting on their relationship, Elton said that their love for one another has "gotten
better and better and better." "Our love has grown stronger and stronger,"
he said. "And you have to work at it, you know you're married."
The couple has two children born to a surrogate:
Zachary Jackson Levon, born December 25, 2010, and Elijah Joseph Daniel, born January 11,
2013. "Our boys came into our life at a late time,"
Elton said. "I've never experienced anything like it, being a father and being a parent.
There's no contest. I'd rather be with my children than playing shows."
Both Elton and David can't stop gushing about the joys of being a parent. "These two children
have come along at a time I’ve never thought I'd have children. They are the greatest thing
in our lives." said Elton. It's safe to say that their two young children
also keep their fathers humble. Glitz and glamour aside, the couple is adamant
about giving their children" as normal of a life as possible.” They've been vocal
about how they'll force their children to earn money, learn the value of hard work,
and pay their way through life. After all, Elton didn't sell 300 million albums by relying
on someone else. "At the end of the day, our life is the same
as everyone else's," David said. "We're sitting around the table, looking at the newspapers,
drinking coffee, watching television, playing with the dogs, and playing with the kids."
All the while, their kids have traveled the world, stayed in the finest hotels, and hung
out with their godmother, Lady Gaga. Now that the kids are starting school, Elton and Furnish
agree that it's time to settle down.