Elton John Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Elton John’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $650 million, Elton John stands as a highly popular and accomplished British singer, composer, pianist, and songwriter. He ranks among the most commercially successful artists in history, having sold over 300 million albums globally. This achievement places him as the fifth best-selling musical artist in modern times, trailing behind Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and The Beatles. He often features as one of the highest-paid celebrities worldwide.

In a single touring year, Elton can easily surpass $80 million from various activities. His “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, at present, is the second-highest-grossing concert tour in history. Grossing $940 million over more than 330 shows between 2018 and 2023, this tour has seen its record surpassed by Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour.” However, it’s worth mentioning that Swift’s average concert gross of $14 million is considerably higher than Elton’s average of $2.85 million.

Sir Elton John has collected almost every music award imaginable. His track “Candle in the Wind” holds the record for the best-selling single in both the UK and US charts. He boasts 50 songs that have reached the Top 40, with nine climbing to No. 1, and has experienced seven consecutive #1 albums in his illustrious career. On January 15, 2024, he achieved “EGOT” status by securing an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special, having previously claimed five Grammys, an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and a Tony Award. He is the 19th individual ever to achieve EGOT recognition. Moreover, John is known as the most successful solo artist on the US Billboard charts and is noted for having UK Top 10 singles spanning six decades.

Early Life

Born Reginald Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Middlesex, England, Elton John began his journey by playing his grandmother’s piano at the tender age of three. He received formal piano lessons starting at age seven and earned a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music at eleven. His father, serving in the military, attempted unsuccessfully to guide him towards a conventional banking career. At 14, his parents divorced, leading his mother to marry Fred Farebrother, a local painter known for being a supportive stepfather. Elton, along with his mother and stepfather, settled into an apartment where he continued to reside even during a period when he boasted four Top 40 albums in the United States. His stepfather played a crucial role in helping 15-year-old Reginald secure weekend gigs at a local piano establishment.

In 1966, he teamed up with friends to form the band Bluesology, marking the point when he adopted the stage name Elton John as a tribute to blues icons Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

During this period, Elton crossed paths with songwriter Bernie Taupin, leading them to become an influential musical duo.

collaborated on more than 30 albums, which collectively sold over 300 million copies.

Rise to Success

In 1969 and 1970, Elton John released his debut albums, Empty Sky and Elton John. Between 1972 and 1975, he enjoyed a remarkable streak with seven consecutive albums reaching the top of the charts. In 1973, he established his own record label, The Rocket Record Company, which released albums by Neil Sedaka. Notably, he chose not to release his own music through his label, opting instead for an $8 million contract with MCA, which is equivalent to around $40 million when adjusted for inflation.

Throughout the 1980s, Elton continued to release successful albums, and in 1992, he and Taupin secured a twelve-year deal with Warner Bros. Records worth $39 million, marking the largest cash advance in music industry history at the time. In 1994, he created the score for Disney’s animated feature, The Lion King, which won a Grammy Award for Best Song and achieved a “diamond” certification in 1999 for reaching fifteen million sales. Following the tragic death of Princess Diana of Wales in 1997, John re-released his iconic 1973 hit “Candle in the Wind.” This updated version claimed the title of the best-selling single in recording history and earned John his only Grammy for Best Male Pop Recording. As of 2023, John remains active, touring, composing for theater, and producing best-selling albums.

Personal Life

Between 1984 and 1988, he was married to German recording engineer Renata Blauel. He later publicly came out as gay and has been in a relationship with filmmaker David Furnish since 1993. The couple entered into a civil partnership in 2005. After the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, they wed in December 2014. They are parents to two sons, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, both born through the same surrogate. Additionally, Elton John has ten godchildren.

Highest-Paid Celebrities

Elton consistently ranks among the highest-paid entertainers globally. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he accrued $45 million. From 2011 to 2018, Elton hosted a Las Vegas residency called The Million Dollar Piano, where he negotiated a lucrative deal allowing him to retain 88% of the door revenue for each performance. This arrangement resulted in earnings of approximately $500,000 per show for him.

His final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, achieved record-breaking success, amassing $853 million over 293 performances, making it the highest-grossing tour ever.

Elton John Net Worth Milestones

In 2000, Elton’s net worth was reported to be “only” $100 million. During this period, he was recognized for his extravagant spending habits. He later revealed that he spent approximately $2 million each month during the late 90s, totaling around $40 million over those years. For instance, in just one six-month span in 1996, he spent over $12 million on real estate and half a million dollars on flowers alone. He cultivated an impressive, museum-caliber car collection. By June 2001, he sold 20 cars that he had never even operated. This sale featured luxury items like a $300,000 1993 Jaguar, Ferraris, and Bentleys.

Rolls Royces.

In 2009, when we first included Elton John in Celebrity Net Worth, his wealth was estimated at $265 million. By 2011, this figure reached over $240 million. In 2013, we adjusted his net worth to $300 million. By 2020, the value of his assets had increased significantly, making him worth a substantial half-billion dollars.

Art Collection

Renowned as one of the most astute celebrity art collectors globally, Elton’s art collection alone could potentially value at around $200 million in a favorable market. It features works from notable artists such as Mapplethorpe, Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, and Damien Hirst, among others. In 2004, he auctioned 70 photographs from his collection, fetching $900,000. His photography collection ranks among the largest in the world.

Real Estate

Since 1974, Elton John has resided in a vast estate known as Woodside, located in Old Windsor, Berkshire, England. This 37-acre estate, which dates back to the 1750s, was purchased by Elton for 400 thousand pounds in 1974, approximately equivalent to $5 million USD today when considering inflation and currency changes. Up until that point, he had primarily lived with his mother and stepfather in a small apartment. In 1988, Elton auctioned the entire contents of the house for $8 million and subsequently renovated and redecorated the entire estate.

He also owns residences in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nice, London, and Venice.

In October 2015, he acquired his Beverly Hills estate for $33 million. This nearly 20-acre gated residence was custom-built in 2001 for Armand Marciano, co-founder of Guess. Before Elton, the property had been listed for $63 million. The main house spans 25,000 square feet and includes an 11-car subterranean garage, wine cellar, gym, screening room, and more.

In 2012, he purchased a nearby property for $7.2 million, and in September 2021, he spent $8.5 million on an adjacent half-acre lot.

Elton acquired a 2,500-square-foot penthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992. Over the following two decades, he added five additional units in the building, eventually merging them into a sprawling 13,000-square-foot penthouse. He loved the convenience of traveling in and out of Atlanta during tours and developed a fondness for Georgia. In September 2023, he listed the unit for just under $5 million and sold it a month later for nearly $14 million. Here’s a video tour of Elton’s former Atlanta penthouse:

In 2022, he expanded his real estate portfolio by adding a penthouse in Toronto.

Ferrari Testarossa

For his 40th birthday in 1987, MCA Records gifted the dedicated musician a striking red 1987 Ferrari Testarossa. This car gained iconic status during the original airing of “Miami Vice.” Known for its ability to reach speeds of 180 miles per hour and accelerate from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, the Ferrari Testarossa is often regarded as the most recognizable vehicle of the 1980s. Sir Elton’s birthday gift went unsold in Australia for years before being auctioned in 2001, having accumulated just 12,427 miles.