Sir Elton John was among the big winners at this year's Attitude Awards, scooping The Legacy Award.
The 77-year-old music icon made a rare public appearance at the ceremony, at The Roundhouse in London's Camden Town on Wednesday night (09.10.24), to accept the accolade, which he was awarded by pop megastar Ed Sheeran.
Elton - who has two sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, with his husband David Furnish - told the audience: "I'm still happy to be a gay man, I love my husband, I love my children.
"I'm very humbled by this award, it means a lot as a gay man.
"I'm married to my work, I love music. Music saved me when I was happy, it saved me when I was miserable."
The 'Candle in the Wind' hitmaker also told how his non-profit The Elton John AIDS Foundation - which works to protect the people most vulnerable to HIV - has given him "so much joy and so much pleasure".
He added: "The Elton John Foundation was the real, real focus point of my life."
Elton is only the second person to ever receive The Legacy Award, following in his friend Prince Harry's footsteps, after he received the gong in 2017 to mark 20 years since his mother, Diana, the Princess of Wales, tragically passed away aged 36.
Other triumphs on the night included Vanessa Williams, who was announced as the winner of The Icon Award, and Lulu won The Honorary Gay Award.
After being presented with the prize by TV host Rylan Clark, the 'Shout' singer said: "You know, when I was told about this award, I was tickled pink and I thought, 'I’ve got to call someone.'
"So, I called Elton, of course, and I said, ‘Did you know about this?’ and he said, ‘I had no idea.’
"I said to him, ‘I’ve been lucky enough to win awards in my career, but this one is kind of different.’
"And he said, ‘Only you can answer that, but I’ll tell you one thing: I’ve always known you were an honorary gay.’
"And I said, ‘But you know what? That’s the thing. You’ve known, but I don’t think anyone else knew, so that’s why it’s special to me. It’s out there. It’s official. I’m out there.’ "
'Baby Reindeer' star Jessica Gunning scooped The Culture Award, and Nemo was named Person of the Year.
2024 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards Winners List
The Legacy Award - Sir Elton John
Person of the Year - Nemo
The Breakthrough Award - Tia Kofi
The Comedy Award - Mawaan Rizwan
The Inspiration Award - Esther Ghey - for Briana Ghey
The Music Award - The Blessed Madonna
The TV Award - Lost Boys and Fairies
The Honorary Gay Award - Lulu
The Sport Award - Cindy Ngamba
The Ally Award - Kathy Sledge
The Icon Award - Vanessa Williams
The Drag Award - Jimbo
The Culture Award - Jessica Gunning
