Elton John has been performing across the UK recently as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
The Rocketman singer started the tour in 2018 and it’s expected to be his last, ending in Sweden next summer.
He’ll be playing a sold-out show at Hyde Park today (June 24) just a few days after he was booed during his Sunderland show for making a joke about Newcastle.
But as the musical icon continues to perform, fans have been growing increasingly concerned about his health.
Health concerns were sparked earlier this month when the 75-year-old was seen arriving at Leipzig airport in a wheelchair, just days before his virtual performance for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Ahead of his huge performance at Hyde Park tonight, here’s how Elton John’s health is now.
Why was Elton John in a wheelchair?
After being pictured in a wheelchair at Leipzig airport in Germany, Elton was quick to explain to fans that he is in “top health”.
In an Instagram post, he said: “I want to thank all my fans for reaching out to ask about my health, after the tabloids ran a silly story about my ‘looking frail’ in a wheelchair.
“The true story is that I’m in top health, loving my shows and playing and singing at my very best."
Elton claimed that there was a simple reason for him using the wheelchair and that it didn’t mean that he was ill.
He went on to explain: “After another rousing 2.5 hour show, we arrived at Leipzig airport just before curfew, to find part of the airport had closed.
“It was an extremely long walk to get to the plane, so my team kindly laid on a wheelchair so I could rest my hip after doing the show. That’s all folks.”
Elton postpones shows due to hip injury
Fans were perhaps quick to jump to a conclusion about Elton’s health after the wheelchair incident because he revealed last year that he’d had a hip injury.
In 2021 he said that he would have to postpone the rest of his Farewell tour after he “fell awkwardly” and required surgery.
In a statement about the tour, Elton said: "At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since.
"Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving."
He later went into more detail about his injury and the decision to postpone his shows in an interview with Lorraine Kelly.
The singer said: "I can't move sideways, I can't get in and out of a car. I wouldn’t be 100% fit – I wouldn’t be 100% confident because I’m in pain most of the time.”
What infection did Elton John have?
Just a year prior to his hip injury, Elton had had another health scare that forced him to halt a performance in New Zealand.
In 2020 the crowd at his Auckland gig were concerned after Elton cut the concert short because he was too ill to continue.
Following the halted show, Elton revealed that he’d been diagnosed with walking pneumonia.
Announcing the news on Twitter, he said: “I want to thank everyone who attended the #EltonFarewellTour gig in Auckland tonight.
“I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia earlier today, but I was determined to give you the best show humanly possible.
“I played and sang my heart out, until my voice could sing no more. I’m disappointed, deeply upset and sorry.
“I gave it all I had.”
Walking pneumonia is also described as a mild form of pneumonia and refers to a type of pneumonia that isn’t severe enough to require bed rest.
How is Elton John’s health now?
In October 2021 Elton’s husband David Furnish confirmed that Elton’s hip surgery had gone well.
In a post to Instagram, he said: “Elton’s hip replacement has been a massive success.
"Huge thanks to the medical team caring for him in hospital. You have all been completely brilliant.”
In January this year, Elton returned to the stage to resume his tour after recovering from the surgery.
Although fans were concerned earlier this month when he was seen in a wheelchair Elton recently said he was still in “top health” and has continued to perform across the country.
