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Elton John shared that when he started using cocaine in 1974 was his “worst decision” he ever made, but the outcome was led to his “diva” reputation.
In his 2019 fictional biopic Rocketman, Elton John went to rehab in 1990, he faced his past demons and managed to clean himself up. 29 years later, he announced that he’d been sober since 1990.
“I saw someone doing cocaine and didn’t know what it was,” John told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. “They said it makes you feel good. So I thought, ‘I will have a go … .’ Worst decision of my life. I shouted at people. I wasn’t proud of that behavior because it is not really who I am.”
He also noted that his behavior while under the influence helped him to gain his “diva” status by spreading the “word” within the music industry.
“It led a lot of people to say I’ve always been a diva,” he reflected. “I am not. Now I don’t take drugs. … Music, from the age of three or four, was my comfort blanket. And when I was doing terrible things to myself in the ’70s and ’80s, it was also my comfort blanket. And so it kept me alive. Music has been everything to me. … If I hadn’t have had that love of music, I would have died, without question. Because even when I was at the depths of despair, I used to play music all the time.”
In other news, John and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin were nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category for the song “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” solely written for the Rocketman movie, which also won two Golden Globes. Elton John also collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne for his upcoming album Ordinary Man.