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Elton John has joked that “there’s not much” of him left after his various surgeries and health issues.
The 77-year-old music icon retired from touring last year.
Page Six reports that John was speaking at a screening of Elton John: Never Too Late at the New York Film Festival on Tuesday, October 1, when he began recounting his numerous ailments.
“To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left,” he said.
“I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. 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.
Addressing his fans, he added: “But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough]; you’re the people that made me.”
John also took the opportunity to thank his husband, David Furnish, and their sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, for making him “the happiest man in the world.”
He said his decision to retire from touring had been a positive one, and that he’d “never felt happiness” like he is feeling now.
“As you know, I decided to stop touring because I’m 77 years of age. I’ve done all there is to do, to play. I’ve succeeded, I’ve been there and I’ve done it,” he said.
“I’ve still got to make room because I’m still going to have music in my life.
“But the most important thing in my life are David, Zachary and Elijah and my family and my friends. I found utopia, and I’m so thrilled.”
Last month, John revealed he’s been slowly healing from a “severe eye infection” that has left his vision impaired.
“Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” John said in a statement posted to his Instagram account.
“I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”
Elton John: Never Too Late is set to arrive on Disney+ on December 13.
Directed by Furnish and JR Cutler, the movie features never-before-seen concert footage of John over the past 50 years, as well as hand-written diary entries and present-day footage of him and his family.
