'Grateful' Elton John celebrates 35 years of sobriety
The music icon's sons, Elijah and Zachary, helped him mark the occasion with handmade cards.
Elton John is celebrating a significant milestone in his sobriety journey.
The 'Candle in the Wind' hitmaker has been sober for 35 years. "Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday," he wrote on Instagram.
John included gifts he received from his family and friends, marking his special day.
He shared a picture showing some of the flowers and cards he received. One of them was a handmade card from his husband, David Furnish, and their sons, Zachary (14) and Elijah (12).
"We are so proud of you," the card read.
John's followers flooded the comments section with messages of congratulations.
"Congratulations, dear Elton! You're strong, you're amazing, you're the best! And we can only thank you," one fan wrote.
Another fan said: "You are an inspiration to so many! Congratulations on 35 years sober."
John has publicly spoken about his addiction to alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, on several occasions in the past.
In a 2019 interview with CBS News, the singer admitted that his addiction nearly destroyed his soul.
"My soul was black, like a charred piece of steak, until I said, 'I need help.' And suddenly, a little pilot light in my soul came along going, 'Yes, I'm still here. I'm still here. I'm still here. I can still be rescued.'"
In a separate interview with Variety, John revealed that he was living the fast life.
“There were times I was having chest pains or staying up for three days at a time. I used to have spasms and be found on the floor and they’d put me back to bed and half an hour later I’d be doing the same. It’s crazy.”
Other famous men who have opened up about their sobriety include actor Denzel Washington.
He celebrated 10 years of sobriety in December last year. He used to drink two bottles of wine a day.
"I’ve done a lot of damage to the body... I’ve been clean. Been 10 years this December. I stopped at 60 and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since," he told Esquire.
Eminem celebrated his 17th sobriety birthday in April, while TKZee star Kabelo Mabalane will mark 23 years in September.
"My worst day clean is better than my best day high!" Mabalane said in an Instagram post.
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Main image credit: Instagram/@eltonjohn