Elton John has marked 35 years of sobriety, telling fans he is “grateful for all the love” after reaching the milestone.
- READ MORE: Elton John: “I’m not interested in the past – not even Elton John’s past”
Sir Elton, who has been sober since 1990 and has been open about his struggles with addiction, marked his 35 years of sobriety with a social media post thanking family and friends for their support.
Sharing a picture featuring handmade cards given to him by his sons Elijah and Zachary, alongside a bouquet of flowers, he captioned the post: “Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday.”
As was charted in biopic Rocketman, he had taken a year off from work in 1990 to pursue recovery after years of addiction to alcohol, cannabis and cocaine, which he said “wasted such a big part of my life“.
In his 2019 memoir, Me, he was candid about the extremes of his addiction – recalling the time he hijacked a Rolling Stones show while high on cocaine, as well as the moment he mistook Bob Dylan for his gardener while high.
Ahead of last year’s 34th sobriety anniversary, John wrote on social media that his life had “never been better”. His openness about his journey, which he previously shared included regular AA and NA meetings even while touring, has earned him praise from fans and peers alike.
In 2019, the musician admitted to fearing he wouldn’t be able to perform sober after he took a year long break to have treatment for addiction.
He told Variety’s Recovery Issue: “After I finally surrendered and decided to seek treatment for my addiction, there came a point when I wondered if I would ever go back to work as Elton John again.
“But at that time, I wasn’t thinking too much about being an artist. I had reached the lowest ebb in my life – the absolute bottom. I hated myself so much. I was consumed with shame. All I wanted to do was get well. I put all of the energy I had left toward my recovery.”
That year, he also revealed that Beatles guitarist George Harrison helped him during his long battle with drug addiction.
More recently, he joined fictitious heavy metal icons Spinal Tap for a new version of their classic track ‘Stonehenge’, shared ahead of the release of the Spinal Tap 2 film – a follow-up to the beloved 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.
For help, advice or more information regarding addiction in the UK, visit the FRANK website. In the US, visit SAMHSA.
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