Elton John has opened up about feeling like he was “just a void” after changing his name in favour of his stage moniker.
During an interview with Good Morning America, the ‘Rocket Man’ icon was asked about his real name, Reginald Dwight, while talking about his new documentary film Never Too Late.
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Host Robin Roberts brought up John’s past claim that he “would never make it as Reg”, adding: “You hated being called Reg. [You said], ‘Reg never would have made it, but Elton John could’.”
In response, the musician explained that “Reginald is a really old-fashioned name” and said he “hated” the shortened version, Reggie. “But in America, it’s quite a popular name – Reggie Jackson… whatever.”
John continued: “But I just didn’t like it. And as soon as I could, I changed my name. I was very clever. I thought, ‘No one’s really called Elton, so I’ll be Elton and I’ll be the only Elton’.”
He went on to explain that this “was a good decision to make” in the end.
“I wanted to leave my childhood and that persona behind, and that caught up with me,” John said, recalling how this came at his historic show at LA’s Dodger Stadium in 1975.
“I realised I put everything into my work and my art, my recording, and there was nothing underneath there,” he remembered. “I was just a void. I left little Reggie behind, but little Reggie was still inside of me.”
You can watch a clip of the conversation in the video above.
In a previous clip of the interview, John revealed that he was struggling to make new music due to his ongoing eye condition. “I can’t see a lyric for a start,” he said. The ‘Tiny Dancer’ artist has since shared more details on his health, saying he has “lost [his] eyesight”.
The Never Too Late film follows the legendary singer-songwriter as he reflects on his life and 50-year career while preparing for his final North American stadium show at Dodger Stadium in November 2022. He has since retired from live touring.
The documentary “pull[s] back the curtain” on John’s life, featuring “never-before-seen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, as well as hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family”.
Directed by R.J. Cutler and John’s husband David Furnish, the movie received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Never Too Late was given a limited theatrical release last month in the US and UK, and will arrive on Disney+ this Friday (December 13).
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Last month, John and Brandi Carlile released a new song called ‘Never Too Late’ – written for the doc of the same name. He told GMA that the collaborative track “encompasses what I’ve been through”.
In late 2023, John revealed that he had completed a new album with his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. This May, Taupin said the music icon was preparing to surprise release his next studio record.
In October, John told fans that “there’s not much of [him] left” following multiple surgeries due to his health issues. Later that month, however, he made a guest appearance at Dua Lipa’s special Royal Albert Hall show in London.
