Elton John's poignant hope as he says ‘I don’t know how long I have left’

The star, 77, says his sons who are aged 11 and 13, worry about his death saying 'they love me and want me to be around forever'

Sir Elton John has candidly spoken about his thoughts on life and mortality in a new documentary. The film, 'Elton John: Never Too Late', directed by RJ Cutler and Sir Elton's husband David Furnish, delves into the iconic musician's illustrious career.

In the documentary, Sir Elton, 77, reflects on his legacy and future, saying: "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."

Despite contemplating retirement, he assures fans he'll still be active: "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."

He also opens up about the toll touring takes on him: "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". His children, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, are also aware of their father's age: "They worry about my mortality because they know how old I am."

Sir Elton expresses his desire to be with his family for as long as possible: "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."

This was shared by Sir Elton John in a documentary that will be available on Disney+ from December 13. The film was previewed earlier this week at the BFI London Film Festival.

During the festival, Sir Elton revealed his favourite part was when his sons FaceTimed him in the studio while he was collaborating with Britney Spears. In 2022, the Rocketman singer and Spears worked together on Hold Me Closer, a mix of Sir Elton’s 1971 hit Tiny Dancer, his 1992 song The One, and parts of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart from 1976.

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 joined the exclusive EGOT club – becoming the 19th performer to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. His headline set at Glastonbury in 2023 marked his final UK performance as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He was bestowed with the Legacy award at this year's Attitude Awards. Elton John: Never Too Late is set to premiere on Disney+ on Friday, December 13.