Elton John managed to get a sweet Valentine’s Day gift to his husband this weekend, even while he was on tour and sick with pneumonia. The “Rocket Man” singer put on a vulnerable display on Sunday in Auckland, New Zealand when his illness took him off the stage. At the same time, his husband David Furnish was enjoying a bouquet of yellow roses.
“Thank you my darling,” Furnish wrote on Instagram, tagging John and adding two heart emojis. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
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The post showed a vase full of yellow flowers resting on a small table where Furnish could admire them. They came from his husband, though it was not clear whether Furnish was with John in New Zealand at the time.
John is currently traveling the world on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, and the trip is taking a toll on him. On Sunday, the 72-year-old revealed that he had been diagnosed with walking pneumonia, making it extremely difficult for him to fulfill his commitment to put on a great show.
In spite of his illness, John sang for nearly two hours for the packed stadium, performing 14 songs. While his shows generally go on longer and his set list is usually 25 songs long, this was enough for the cheering crowd.
The audience was especially compassionate when John finally gave up right at the beginning of “Daniel.” The singer’s voice cracked, and he stood from his piano bench teary-eyed to bid them all a good night. He later gave his apologies in a post on social media.
“I’m so sorry’
— Tim McCready 🇳🇿 (@Tim_McCready) February 16, 2020
And he was gone.#EltonJohn #EltonFarewellTour pic.twitter.com/lHPoLJrT4N
“I want to thank everyone who attended the [Elton Farewell Tour] gig in Auckland tonight,” John wrote. “I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia earlier today, but I was determined to give you the best show humanly possible. I played and sang my heart out, until my voice could sing no more. I’m disappointed, deeply upset and sorry. I gave it all I had. Thank you so much for your extraordinary support and all the love you showed me during tonight’s performance. I am eternally grateful. Love, Elton xx”
Fans praised John, especially because his concern for them seemed so genuine. Many assured him that he had earned his rest, and they hoped that he would have time to recover before his next show.
John will be in New Zealand and Australia for the remainder of February and into the first week of March. At the end of next month he returns to North America for shows in Canada and the U.S. Information on available tickets can be found on his official website.
