Elton John’s spouse: the story of David Furnish and his relationship with the singer
3 december 2024 в 06:13
Sir Elton John came out as gay in 1988, although he had mentioned in Rolling Stone in 1976 that he was attracted to both men and women, according to HuffPost. «No one asked me», - he explained on the TODAY show in 2012, why he took so long to make an official statement. «When (journalist) Cliff Jahr asked me in Rolling Stone: 'I'll ask you a question, but if you don’t want to answer it, I’ll turn off the tape recorder.' And I said, 'You're going to ask me if I’m gay or not.' And he said, 'How did you guess that?' I said, 'I was waiting to be asked about it. It’s not a secret. I live with my manager. I’m openly gay in public. I don’t have a girlfriend… I just thought it was common knowledge'».
The five-time Grammy winner was married to his ex-wife Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988 — the same year he came out as gay. A few years later, he met his future husband, David Furnish. The couple has been together since 1993 and got married twenty years later, in 2014. They supported each other in everything, including health issues. In 2024, the famous singer revealed that he lost his vision after a severe eye infection in July. However, during the musical «The Devil Wears Prada» in London on December 1, 2024, he shared that his husband was his «rock» during this difficult time, according to many sources.
David was born in Canada on October 25, 1962. He grew up in a middle-class family and was the middle of three brothers. He worked hard all his life and found a job right away. Over the years, he had various jobs: newspaper delivery, lawn mowing, babysitting, waiting tables, and more. After college, he attended the University of Western Ontario’s business school and maintained his work ethic. «Those who partied in their first year of college were the ones whose parents paid for everything. Those were my own earnings, I worked all those years, all those jobs. I studied very, very hard, quite boring», - he recalled in an interview with The Star in 2015.
He came out to his mother between his second and third year of university. «I remember my mom saying, 'I love you and support you, but all I see is a life of misery, isolation, prejudice, and illness'», - he told The Star. He added that his mother also said it hurt her to think that he wouldn’t be able to have children.
After college, David took a job offer at the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. A few years later, he agreed to transfer to the company’s London office. Unfortunately, his career move was less motivated by his love for advertising and more by his insecurity. «I was running away because I had to come out of the closet. By the time I left Toronto, I was really living a double life», - he recalled. «I had a girlfriend, and I would leave her and meet a man afterwards. It wasn’t the most honest, healthy, or happy way to live».
David left his position after starting to date Elton and switched to filmmaking. He notably directed the 1997 documentary about Elton John, «Tantrums and Tiaras». He is also known as the producer of the films «Rocketman» in 2019 and «Gnomeo and Juliet» in 2011.
Elton admitted that «Tantrums and Tiaras» was the «greatest gift» from David because it showed him a truthful look at his personality and how he treated others. «It showed me who I was and how much I needed to change», - he told Mirror in 2012. «I watch it every three years. It still makes me uncomfortable, but now it makes me laugh. It’s been 17 years since it was made, and I really don’t think I have tantrums anymore. I’ve become a much calmer and collected person».
David became a director at Ogilvy & Mather and was invited by friends to dinner at Elton’s house, where they first saw each other. «In 1993, I returned to my home in Windsor for a while»
The five-time Grammy winner was married to his ex-wife Renate Blauel from 1984 to 1988 — the same year he came out as gay. A few years later, he met his future husband, David Furnish. The couple has been together since 1993 and got married twenty years later, in 2014. They supported each other in everything, including health issues. In 2024, the famous singer revealed that he lost his vision after a severe eye infection in July. However, during the musical «The Devil Wears Prada» in London on December 1, 2024, he shared that his husband was his «rock» during this difficult time, according to many sources.
David was born in Canada on October 25, 1962. He grew up in a middle-class family and was the middle of three brothers. He worked hard all his life and found a job right away. Over the years, he had various jobs: newspaper delivery, lawn mowing, babysitting, waiting tables, and more. After college, he attended the University of Western Ontario’s business school and maintained his work ethic. «Those who partied in their first year of college were the ones whose parents paid for everything. Those were my own earnings, I worked all those years, all those jobs. I studied very, very hard, quite boring», - he recalled in an interview with The Star in 2015.
He came out to his mother between his second and third year of university. «I remember my mom saying, 'I love you and support you, but all I see is a life of misery, isolation, prejudice, and illness'», - he told The Star. He added that his mother also said it hurt her to think that he wouldn’t be able to have children.
After college, David took a job offer at the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. A few years later, he agreed to transfer to the company’s London office. Unfortunately, his career move was less motivated by his love for advertising and more by his insecurity. «I was running away because I had to come out of the closet. By the time I left Toronto, I was really living a double life», - he recalled. «I had a girlfriend, and I would leave her and meet a man afterwards. It wasn’t the most honest, healthy, or happy way to live».
David left his position after starting to date Elton and switched to filmmaking. He notably directed the 1997 documentary about Elton John, «Tantrums and Tiaras». He is also known as the producer of the films «Rocketman» in 2019 and «Gnomeo and Juliet» in 2011.
Elton admitted that «Tantrums and Tiaras» was the «greatest gift» from David because it showed him a truthful look at his personality and how he treated others. «It showed me who I was and how much I needed to change», - he told Mirror in 2012. «I watch it every three years. It still makes me uncomfortable, but now it makes me laugh. It’s been 17 years since it was made, and I really don’t think I have tantrums anymore. I’ve become a much calmer and collected person».
David became a director at Ogilvy & Mather and was invited by friends to dinner at Elton’s house, where they first saw each other. «In 1993, I returned to my home in Windsor for a while»
© Puhova Marina
