Elton John reaches rare EGOT status with special Emmy win for Dodger Stadium farewell concert

LOS ANGELES — Elton John has achieved EGOT status.

The famed British singer-pianist won the Emmy Award for best variety special (live) on Monday night for his three-hour concert documentary “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” streaming on Disney+.

John said he was “incredibly humbled” to join the elite group of EGOT winners who have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

“The journey to this moment has been filled with passion, dedication and the unwavering support of my fans all over the world,” John, 76, said after winning his award.

The superstar artist has five Grammy awards; the most recent of which was 2001’s “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida”; Two Oscars in 1994 for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King” and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”; With Tony for his original score on “Aida.”

He is one of the best-selling solo artists of all time, holding the record for the best-selling physical single of all time with sales of 33 million copies of “Candle in the Wind” in 1997.

John becomes the 19th person to achieve EGOT status, after Viola Davis achieved the feat when she won a Grammy last year. Other artists with EGOTs include Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend.

David Furnish, John’s husband and producer of the special, said John was so happy he won his first Emmy on Monday night that he was “screaming loudly.” Furnish said John, who was “incredibly honoured”, was unable to attend the awards ceremony as he was recovering from recent surgery.

“We Facetimed him. We woke him up in the middle of the night,” Furnish said, holding John’s award backstage. “He’s back in the UK. He’s had his left knee replaced, which isn’t surprising when you consider the number of pianos he’s jumped.”

John’s concert was the last of a three-night concert at the stadium in Los Angeles as part of the North American leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which began in September 2018 with the first of more than 300 scheduled dates. It was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in 2021.

Her last show was attended by more than 50,000 people and featured new generation stars like Dua Lipa and Brandi Carlile as guests.

The singer’s broadcast special beat out the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show starring Rihanna, as well as ABC’s Oscars telecast, CBS’ Tony Awards telecast and Netflix’s “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.”

“Tonight is a testament to the power of art and the joy it brings to our lives,” John said. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career. I am incredibly grateful.”