Elton John celebrates 35 years sober with touching tribute from kids
Sir Elton John is celebrating a second chance at life as he marks a major milestone in his sobriety journey.
The 78-year-old music icon celebrated 35 years of sobriety on Monday, July 29, sharing a sweet Instagram photo of cards and flowers he received from loved ones, including handmade notes from his sons Zachary, 14, and Elijah, 12.
“Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” the 78-year-old wrote in the caption.
Famous friends like Billie Jean King and Christina Perri chimed in with support in the comments, marking the moment with praise for John’s decades-long journey.
John’s struggles with addiction — from alcohol to cocaine — were chronicled in the 2019 biopic Rocketman.
But it was the 1990 death of his friend, AIDS victim Ryan White, that became the turning point. That July, John checked into Parkside Lutheran Hospital in Chicago and never looked back.
“My sobriety has brought me everything that I could possibly wish for,” he told Variety in 2019. “I am a survivor. Life is full of pitfalls… I can deal with them now because I don’t have to run away and hide.”
He’s since paid it forward, even sponsoring Eminem through his own recovery journey.
