Getty David Furnish, Elton John, and Bernie Taupin attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - I'm Still Standing: A GRAMMY Salute To Elton John at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 2018 in New York City.
Music legend Sir Elton John and his long-time partner, David Furnish, entered into a civil partnership in 2005, but the two didn’t plan an actual wedding until 2014. According to Billboard, the two met in 1993
1. The Wedding Came After a Change in the Law for Same-Sex Marriages
When John and Furnish celebrated their civil partnership in 2005, Daily Mail reported that the ceremony was held at Windsor Guildhall, after 12 years of dating. It was a private ceremony, with a handful of guests, including John’s mother and stepfather, along with Furnish’s parents as well. Furnish’s father Jack described the intimate event as “one of the happiest days of my life”, while Furnish’s mother said she was “very proud.”
The actual wedding, which was held in December 2014, also took place in England, as reported by Billboard. The celebration was held at John and Furnish’s estate near Windsor Castle, and John gushed over England embracing same-sex marriage earlier that year. Getting married was the perfect way for the couple to celebrate same-sex legalization, as reported by CNN.
Prior to the nuptials, Furnish told The Las Vegas Review Journal that, “We don’t feel the need to take an extra step legally. But since we’re committed for life, we feel it’s really important to take that step, and take advantage of that amazing change in legislation. We all live by example.”
2. Elton John’s Sons With Furnish Were Born via Surrogate
On Christmas Day in 2010, Furnish and John became parents to Zachary who was born via a surrogate, according to Hello Magazine. Then, in January of 2013, the couple welcomed their son Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John into the world. Zachary calls John “Daddy” and Furnish “Papa.”
After the birth of their second child, Furnish opened up to Hello Magazine saying, “Throughout our lives we have both loved and been loved, but the love of a parent for his or her child is different to anything else, as all parents will know. You find new depths of love, and experience pure joy.” And, as for the surrogate who has carried both of the couple’s sons, John previously revealed that, “We have a very close bond with her and were in constant touch throughout the pregnancy, getting updates, seeing scans and sharing all the little details that make those nine months so exciting. She has given us two amazing gifts and we in turn have a duty of care to her and are fiercely protective of her anonymity.”
In addition to having their own two sons, both Furnish and John are the godfathers of Brooklyn Beckham, one of David and Victoria Beckham’s sons. According to The Mirror, Beckham has said that John is the “coolest godfather ever”.
3. According to John His Kids Are His Reason for Retiring
British singer-songwriter and composer, Sir Elton John performs on stage a the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam November 22, 2016.
In recent months, John announced that he is retiring from touring, but first, he will embark on a three-year tour. So, why is the 70-year-old calling it quits? According to John, his two sons are his major reason for throwing in the towel, explaining to the Associated Press that, “Having had children and seeing how much joy they brought to us, I thought, ‘Do you know what? I want to spend more time with them. I have to spend more time with them. I’m their father, David is their father. They give us so much joy. I don’t want to miss too much.'” Hello! Magazine then reported that John said, “It was a pretty easy decision, to be honest with you. I just never thought that fatherhood could bring me so much joy, and I came to fatherhood late in the day, but it’s been one of the miracles of my life. It seems to me something happens in my life every now and then which propels me to a different stage. This is a different stage and it’s probably the most wonderful stage.”
In recent months, Hello! Magazine also reported that John admitted he and his husband had been toning down their lives in order to focus on parenthood. He explained, “I’ve learned that the simplest things in life, like having a minute with them, are worth more than any painting, any photograph, any house or hit record. Before we had the children we just had our lives and we would spend money because we didn’t have anything else to focus on.” John then said that, “We have really toned things down because we have enough stuff. There is nothing else we need.”
Though John is pulling away from the stage in the next few years, he said that he hopes for his music to live on with his children, as well as with young performers. Telegraph also reported John saying that he doesn’t want to “die on the road.”
4. This Is the Second Marriage for John
Musician Elton John and partner film maker David Furnish kiss after being presented HRC’s National Equality Award at the 18th annual Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Dinner in Washington on October 25, 2014. HRC is the largest US civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
John was previously married to a woman named Renate Blaue, who he was married to from 1984 to 1988, according to Hello! Magazine. Blaue was a sound engineer, who married John in a ceremony in Australia, as reported by Pink News.
Blaue’s marriage to John was short-lived because John came out as gay shortly after the couple called it quits. In 2017, John reportedly admitted that, “Many years ago, I chose Australia for my wedding to a wonderful woman for whom I have so much love and admiration. I wanted more than anything to be a good husband, but I denied who I really was, which caused my wife sadness, and caused me huge guilt and regret. To be worthy of someone’s love, you have to be brave enough and clear eyed enough to be honest with yourself and your partner.”
John actually came out as gay to the public via Rolling Stone after he was asked directly about his sexuality. Though he was caught off-guard, John recalled to Today, “When Cliff Jahr asked me in Rolling Stone, ‘I’m gonna ask you a question, but if you don’t want to answer it, I’m gonna turn the tape recorder off.’ And I said, ‘You’re gonna ask me if I’m gay or not.’ And he said, ‘How did you know that?'” John continued, remembering that, “I said, ‘I’ve been waitin’ for people to ask me this. It’s not exactly a secret. I live with my manager. I’m openly gay outside. I don’t have a girlfriend. And nobody’s ever actually out — I just thought it was common knowledge.'”
5. John an His Husband Have Worked Together Professionally on Several Projects
Sir Elton John and David Furnish attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation Commemorates Its 25th Year And Honors Founder Sir Elton John During New York Fall Gala at Cathedral of St. John the Divine on November 7, 2017 in New York City.
They say you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but it seems to work well for David Furnish and Sir Elton John. Furnish is a film-maker who has produced projects including Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras, Gnomeo & Juliet, Sherlock Gnomes, and It’s a Boy Girl Thing. When talking about working with his partner John on the movie Gnomeo & Juliet, IMDb quotes Furnish as saying, “When Elton (John) and I work on things, we want to invest our time, creativity and energy in things that hopefully bring the world closer together, not further apart. The movie’s message essentially says it doesn’t matter if you’re a red or a blue. At the end of the day parents should love their children and want what’s best for them. Elton and I try not be judgmental people. We are not advocates in the placard-carrying way. We just try to live our life by example.”
In an interview with Parade, John once said that he met his husband at a dinner party. According to Good Housekeeping, John recalled, “I wanted meet new people so I rang up a friend in London and said, ‘Could you please rattle some new people together for dinner here Saturday? I was attracted to David immediately. He was very well dressed, very shy. The next night we had dinner.”
Years later, John actually proposed to Furnish at a dinner party, since that’s how they first met. John popped the question in May 2005.