Elton John, acclaimed as one of Britain’s most illustrious music talents, has enraptured fans globally with his remarkable vocal and songwriting prowess.
Today marks a new chapter for the legendary artist as his intimate documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, debuts on Disney+ (Friday 13 December).
Delving into his past in the candid feature, the singer reveals unsettling details about his childhood. He confesses: “My father and my mother, I don’t know if they were ever in love with one another, there were lots of arguments, both of them I was frightened of, they were abusive, they were violent, they were physically violent.”
“I used to walk on eggshells thinking in case I did anything wrong. My mother, when I was a year old, she beat me till I bled with a wire brush to make me potty trained.”
Reflecting on further traumatic experiences, he adds: “My dad, when I was playing football and the ball went on the garden instead of on the grass, it was hell to pay.”
Now a father himself, Sir Elton acknowledges that his childhood was dominated by trepidation and criticism, reports the Mirror. He shares: “My mum said ‘It didn’t do you any harm’ and I’d say, ‘God you have no idea’. To be reprimanded and walloped on the street, in front of people, it stays with you. My whole childhood was full of fear.”
Despite the turmoil at home, Elton found solace in his imagination. “I spent a lot of time in fantasy land while my parents were arguing, I cherished the things that I had,” he admitted.
Elton was raised in a council property in Pinner, Middlesex, by his maternal grandparents after his parents, Stanley Dwight and Sheila Eileen, divorced when he was 14. Sheila remarried soon after, to a local painter named Fred Farebrother.
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Disney+Affectionately, Elton referred to his kind stepfather as “Derf”, which is Fred spelt backwards, enjoying a strong and supportive bond with him.
Tragedy struck when Elton’s father, Stanley, passed away in 1991 due to cardiovascular disease, followed by the death of his mother, Sheila, at 92 in 2017 from an unspecified illness.
The reconciliation between Elton and his mother came just months before her passing, following a family estrangement that had caught the renowned musician off guard.
Elton John: Never Too Late is streaming on Disney+ now