Let me do it, you're so frail, I'll do it, it's not a problem,'' he said. Before the show, I went backstage and said, 'Aretha. It was six months before she passed away, she was this thin. 'When we put our single out, Aretha Franklin covered the song and put her version out, so Bernie and I being young English kids and young songwriters were so knocked out, so flabbergasted that the Queen of Soul had recorded one of our songs, that it was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to us in our career,' he said.Įlton told the crowd that he was honored to record and hang out with Aretha, calling it a 'surreal experience.' Aretha Franklin's Final ShowĬoincidentally, Aretha Franklin's final show was at Elton John's annual AIDS Foundation gala even in New York City. Around that time, the lead single from his 'Elton John' album was 'Border Song' and he was honored when Franklin made a cover of it. John told the crowd of tens of thousands (and millions more streaming on Disney+) that his career began around 1970 and he performed his first show in Los Angeles.
The legendary Michigan native passed away in August of 2018, but in Elton's words her 'lasting genius and legacy' lives on. During his shows, the 75-year-old Rocket Man singer has been paying tribute to the late Aretha Franklin.
