Sir Elton John gave an emotional speech last night, declaring his love for his husband, David Furnish, and their two sons.
The much-loved musician, 77, appeared at the Attitude Awards in London on Wednesday night, where he was honoured with the Legacy Award after almost 60 years in the industry.
Sir Elton, who has only made rare public appearances since the conclusion of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour last year, appeared in good spirits as he briefly took to the stage to accept his award.
Admitting his career has been a long journey,’ Sir Elton, who recently revealed a severe eye infection left him with ‘limited vision’, continued to give a touching speech about his family.
‘I’m still happy to be a gay man, I love my husband, I love my children,’ he said. ‘I’m very humbled by this award, it means a lot as a gay man. ‘
Discussing his career, the star said: ‘I’m married to my work, I love music. Music saved me when I was happy, it saved me when I was miserable.’
He continued to say that The Elton John Foundation, of which his husband, 61, is the CEO, ‘was the real, real focus point of my life’ and admitted that helping others gives him ‘so much joy and so much pleasure’.
Elton said he and David have raised an impressive $600million (£458.9million) for the nonprofit foundation, which was established in 1992.
The foundation works to care for and protect vulnerable communities around the world against HIV, and tackle the stigma surrounding the virus.
Prior to accepting his award, Ed Sheeran took to the stage and announced what it takes to receive such a prestigious award, one that has had only one other recipient, Prince Harry, in 2017.
‘Attitude’s Legacy Award, supported by Virgin Atlantic, presented tonight for only the second time in 13 years, hits harder,’ he said. ‘It honours not only a body of work, however impressive, not simply a career blessed with longevity, however stellar, not even a life devoted to a cause, however worthy,’ he said.
The Attitude Awards were created to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s best members and allies.
Sir Elton’s emotional speech comes one week after he spoke about his health struggles during an appearance at the premiere of his new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, held at the New York Film Festival.
‘To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left. I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate,’ he said, via People Magazine. ‘I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee.
‘In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough], you’re the people that made me.
‘I want to thank David, Zachary and Elijah for making me the happiest man in the world.’
Despite his health struggles in recent years and semi-retirement, the music legend has still been working away, with his new film – spanning his decades-long career – which will be available to fans later this year.
Elton John: Never Too Much will premiere in cinemas on November 15 before being released on Disney+ on December 13.
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