A great musician, songwriter and all-around performer (with a fabulous wardrobe), Elton John earned his fame in the 1970s and boldly continued dazzling us through the next three decades. He made some mistakes, went a little crazy but this is rock ‘n roll so as long as he landed on his feet (he did), all is forgiven.

Young Reginald’s (that’s his real name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight) music influences were early rockers and bad boys, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. Elton John excelled at the piano as a child and won a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music when he was 11. After experiencing the heady London rock scene, he left the Academy and joined several bands, including the Corvettes and Bluesology. He discovered that the thankless life of piano playing in the corner didn’t suit him either, so he went his solo way equipped with a new name.

In 1967, he teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and the two wrote several songs together. Dick James hired the songwriting duo in 1968 and mined a plethora of songs from them. Craving more of the limelight, Elton released a self-titled album, produced by Gus Dudgeon and arranged by Paul Buckmaster, which garnered a lot of success in the UK. Quickly on that album’s heels came Tumbleweed Junction and the team’s debut in the U.S. After his performance at the Troubadour in L.A., Elton came to the attention of the industry’s movers and shakers like Quincy Jones.

Elton John and Taupin continued to work together in the 70s and scored a big hit with the #1 album, Honky Chateau. With songs like “Rocket Man,” “Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Candle in the Wind," the duo racked up fans and sales alike. Elton created his own record label, which produced records by Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee, then appeared on the Who’s rock opera, Tommy, as the Pinball Wizard. He rapidly became a live favorite too, selling out whole stadiums with people who came to listen to his music and watch the stage spectacle that was his outfits (and eyewear and hair color).

Elton wrote a song with ex-Beatle John Lennon called “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” and the two friends sang together in an impromptu duet during a Madison Square Garden concert. It was to be Lennon’s last live appearance. Elton John released more albums in the 70 but none came close to the critical and commercial success of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a multi-platinum, nay, diamond album. In 1977, the John/Taupin partnership dissolved and Elton publicly announced his retirement from the scene. Regardless, he continued to release albums throughout the late 70s.

Taupin and John reunited in 1980 and produced minor successes until 1983’s Too Low for Zero brought them back on top. The 80s became a decade of personal change for John who had long standing health problems, mostly stemming from his alcohol and drug abuse (hey, the 70s were rough on everybody). John later revealed that he also battled the eating disorder bulimia. The self-proclaimed bisexual spent four years married to a sound technician in the mid-80s, a surprising fact considering his 180-degree turn to the other end of the sexuality spectrum. Elton also laid the groundwork for a lot of charity work during this time, most notably his AIDS foundation that supports patient care and promotes education about the disease.

In 1994, Elton John popped up in the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King, with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which he co-wrote with Tim Rice: the song earned the duo an Academy Award. John and Taupin reworked their early hit “Candle in the Wind” in 1997 to honor the recently deceased Princess Diana and that single went on to become the best-selling song of all time. Elton, who was Diana’s good friend, has only performed it live once at the Princess’s funeral.

The year 1998 brought further accolades to the award-winning musician, when Queen Elizabeth knighted him in recognition of his charity work. If you see him on the street, don’t forget to call him ‘Sir Elton’ lest he think you were uncouth. In 2005, Elton and partner David Furnish entered into a civil union that was celebrated by a lavish reception featuring every famous person under the sun. We weren’t invited.