With more than 300 million records sold worldwide, the Tiny Dancer singer has earned more than a few dimes over the course of his extensive career in the music industry, but Sir Elton John will not be leaving this sum to his two sons for a very good reason.
The 68-year-old singer has had a career that spans over five decades, and in that time, it’s estimated that he has raked in the fortune of around $380 million.
But just because Sir Elton John could leave his children this hefty sum to set them up for the rest of their lives, it doesn’t mean that he will.
The music maker and his husband David Furnish are in agreement that they wouldn’t want five-year-old Zachary, and three-year-old Elijah to take anything in life for granted.
The star grew up on a council estate in Pinner, Middlesex. He feels that his humble upbringing taught him the true value of hard work and he only hopes to instill the same values on his children.
“You have to have some semblance of normality, some respect for money, some respect for work,” the iconic singer explained to the Mirror.
“Of course I want to leave my boys in a very sound financial state. But it’s terrible to give kids a silver spoon. It ruins their life.”
The happy family pictured together in September 2014.
Elton has found that a good way to help keep his kids grounded, is to have them participate in house chores.
“They have to do chores in the house – take their plates to be cleaned, help in the kitchen, tidy their rooms and help in the garden,”
“They understand they need to do these things, and they enjoy it.”
This interview isn’t the first time that the hitmaker has spoken about the importance of a grounded lifestyle.
Speaking with BBC radio, the father-of-two chatted about what will happen when the time comes for his boys to get behind the wheel.
He believes that when his sons are old enough to drive, they will need to take on the responsibility of purchasing their own cars.
“If they want a new car they’re going to have to pay for it, and they’re going to have the second hand car to start with – that’s what I had. They have to have a sense of value.”
The Tiny Dancer hitmaker grew up on a council estate in Pinner, Middlesex.
Elton and David tied the knot in December of 2014 after taking a vow of civil partnership back in 2005.
In 2010, the couple welcomed their first son into the world through means of surrogacy and two years later, their second son was born.
Elton recalls the day he became a father as a life-changing moment.
“Having children changed everything about my life. I’ve learned that the simplest things in life, like having a minute with them, are worth more than any painting, any photograph, any house or hit record,” he said to the Mirror.
David, 53, and Elton, 68, pictured in some very dazzling suits at the 2016 Oscars viewing party.
