Elton John Was 'Miserably Unhappy' Over Stormy Romance When He Wrote 'Candle in the Wind': 'I Kind of Fell Apart'

Mar. 15, 2025

Elton John in 1973.Photo:Michael Putland/Getty

Michael Putland/Getty

But the haunting melodies of John’s greatest hits from this era, like that ode toMarilyn Monroe— which John and his songwriting partner, lyricistBernie Taupin, turned into an ode toPrincess Dianaafter her death in 1997 — reflected John’s inner turmoil at the time. He was in the throes of a stormy five-year relationship with his manager John Reid.

“It was the same time John Reid broke my heart. My relationship with him wasn’t all it was meant to be," John, 77, explains in his new documentaryElton John: Never Too Late, which premiered Dec. 13 on Disney+.

The relationship, which lasted from 1970 to 1975, had a profound effect on John’s songwriting at the time (he wrote the music for most of the songs he released during this period, while Taupin wrote the lyrics) — and on his psyche, too.

“When I wrote those songs I was miserably unhappy," he says in the documentary. “That kind of came through in the songwriting. It was very very moving to me, and it was very very cathartic.”

John Reid (left) and Elton John in 1976.Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

“I was very naive,” he says. “I didn’t know that he was having sex outside the relationship. When I found out about it, I was crushed.”

John Lennon (left) and Elton John.Sam Emerson/Disney+

Sam Emerson/Disney+

“I had a party at the house, and we had a fight, and he smacked me in the face,” John continues. “He made my nose bleed, cut my face. I loved John a lot, but I said, ‘I can’t go through this anymore.’ And when that fell apart, I kind of fell apart.”

The relationship took a toll on the superstar, especially after it was over. “John left an emptiness within me,” he says. “I thought being alone was a sense of failure. Why isn’t someone with me? I’m not good enough. I chased relationships. I chased love — always looking for love all the time.”

Elton John in ‘Elton John: Never Too Late’.Sam Emerson/Disney+

After they split romantically, Reid would continue being John’s manager until they parted ways professionally in 1998 after 28 years. In 2014, John married filmmakerDavid Furnish, 62, after 21 years together. They share sons Zachary, who turns 15 on Christmas Day, and Elijah, 11.

Furnish co-directed the new documentary with R.J. Cutler. “He’s genuinely so happy,” Furnish told PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere ofElton John: Never Too Latein September. “So for us to be at this moment right now, after so much hard work and so much anticipation, there’s a lot of heightened emotion.”

Elton John: Never Too Lateis now streaming on Disney+.

source: people.com