Sir Elton John paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Brian Wilson at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday (08.11.25) night.
The Crocodile Rock hitmaker performed the Beach Boys’ God Only Knows as part of a tribute to the singer, who died in June aged 82, and also shared his memories of his former friend, including how terrified he was when they met for the first time in Los Angeles.
Speaking on stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, Elton said: “We were scared shitless because he was my idol. He was the one that influenced me more than anybody else when it came to writing songs on the piano. It was an evening we would never forget.
“Meeting someone who was a true genius doesn’t happen very often.”
The 78-year-old star noted how he and Brian became friends and worked on each other’s records over the years.
He added: “We loved each other. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather pay tribute than Brian Wilson and his family with this incredible song.”
Elton then gave an emotional rendition of the Beach Boys classic.
The memorial section of the evening also featured a star-studded tribute to Sly Stone, which saw Stevie Wonder, Flea, Questlove, Jennifer Hudson, Beck, Leon Thomas and Maxwell perform a medley of tracks including Dance to the Music, Everyday People, Thank You and I Want To Take You Higher, while images of the soul legend were displayed in the background.
The In Memoriam video montage also included both Brian and Sly, as well as the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Marianne Faithfull and Roy Ayers.
When Brian passed away earlier this year, Elton remembered his friend as the person who had the “biggest influence of my songwriting ever.”
Sharing a photo of them together, he wrote on Instagram: “Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him.
“He sang Someone Saved My Life Tonight at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation.
“I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”
