Elton John breaks down in tears over his mortality as he turns 78
Sir Elton John has opened up about a raw and deeply emotional moment while recording a song that forced him to confront his mortality. The music icon, who turns 78 on March 25, revealed on the SmartLess podcast that he was brought to tears — for 45 minutes — while working on the track When This Old World Is Done With Me for his upcoming album.
“I get to the chorus and, of course, it’s about my death,” he shared candidly. “And when you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’”
Since stepping away from touring in 2023, Elton has clearly been in a reflective place, and the reality of ageing hit him full force in the studio. “You’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband, you just think about mortality,” he said, describing how the weight of the lyrics suddenly became too much.
The emotional moment was captured in his new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, and it shows just how personal this album really is for him.
Brandi Carlile, who’s worked closely with Elton on the project, witnessed the moment first-hand and said it was powerful to watch. “He got to the end of that chorus, and his voice started to shake,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, he’s going to really go.’ And he did.”
But it wasn’t just the topic of death that shook him. Elton admitted that the creative process wasn’t always smooth sailing. At one point during recording, his frustration and self-doubt got the better of him. In the documentary, he’s seen ripping off his headphones, calling the session a “f***ing nightmare,” and storming out of the studio. He later admitted, “I was in a very dark place of doubt.”
It’s hard to imagine someone as legendary as Elton John questioning himself, but even icons have their moments. Despite the setback, he pushed through and eventually found his flow again. “It just flew, and it was amazing,” he said, reflecting on how things finally clicked.
The song, laced with emotion and meaning, is shaping up to be one of the most personal tracks of his career — a window into how he’s facing the reality of time and legacy.
And yet, even in the middle of such vulnerable moments, Elton remains as honest and unfiltered as ever. From heartfelt tears to studio outbursts, it’s clear this new chapter in his music is as raw as it gets.
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