Elton John Slams Tabloid Report That He's in "Frail" Health
Rumors began circulating after he was photographed using a wheelchair.
No need to worry, Elton John fans. The legendary singer assures you that he's just fine. After recent reports speculated that he was ill and weak, the artist shared a health update on his Instagram account. The 75-year-old musician explained why he was photographed using a wheelchair and took tabloids to task for spreading rumors.
John is currently performing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which began in 2018 and is set to continue until 2023. What's meant to be his final tour ever has faced multiple changes due to COVID-19 and health setbacks for John. Currently, though, John says he is doing well despite some magazines claiming otherwise. Read on to see what he had to say.
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John was photographed in a wheelchair.
Photos of John using a wheelchair at Leipzig Airport in Germany recently surfaced, prompting the Daily Mail to report that he was "frail-looking" and note that he'd recently taken a break from his tour "after battling multiple ailments."
John just started another European leg of his lengthy tour. In Germany, he performed in Frankfurt and Leipzig and then moved on to Bern, Switzerland on June 1. His next stop is in Milan, Italy.
He says he's in "top health," however.
In a June 2 post to Instagram, John gave an update about his health and thanked fans for their concern.
"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," he wrote. "The true story is that I'm in top health, loving my shows and playing and singing at my very best."
John then explained the specifics of the wheelchair situation. "After another rousing 2.5 hour show, we arrived at Leipzig airport just before curfew, to find part of the airport had closed," he wrote. "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."
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John had hip surgery last year.
Last year, John underwent surgery for his hip. In September 2021, he apologized to fans for needing to cancel some tour dates and move them to 2023. He explained the reason why in another Instagram post.
"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," John said in his statement. "Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving. I have been advised to have an operation as soon as possible to get me back to full fitness and make sure there are no long-term complications."
He also battled COVID.
John resumed his tour in January 2022, but soon had to cancel shows again due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, as reported by NPR.
Back in 2019, John made headlines for being in a wheelchair after he sprained his ankle during a break in his tour. John posted a photo of himself in a wheelchair in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. "Not even a sprained ankle could keep me away from seeing one of the most beautiful museums in the world," he wrote in the caption.
He's about to make an important appearance.
In addition to his regular tour dates, John is also part of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations that are taking place this week to mark her 70 years as monarch. The "Tiny Dancer" signer is one of the performers taking part in the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace, though his segment will be pre-recorded, according to Today. Other performers include Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Queen + Adam Lambert, and Andrea Bocelli.
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