Photos: The legendary Elton John Elton John plays the piano in 1970, the year he launched his first world tour. Hide Caption 2 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John appears in one of his first publicity photos in 1968. The singer had officially changed his name to Elton John a year earlier after being born as Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England, in 1947. The name was inspired by members of his early band, Bluesology, whose saxophone player was Elton Dean and lead singer was Long John Baldry. Hide Caption 3 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John, here in 1973, was known for wearing colorful costumes and wild glasses, especially in the early years. His on-stage outfits have included a duck suit, a sequined baseball uniform and a Ronald McDonald outfit. He would wear the colorful clothes to create a spectacle and offset his shyness. Hide Caption 4 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John appears in a 1973 documentary that detailed the production of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." Hit songs from that album included "Candle in the Wind," "Bennie and the Jets," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and the title track. Hide Caption 5 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John and his songwriting collaborator, Bernie Taupin, hold gold records in 1973. Taupin has written the lyrics for many of John's songs over his career, and the two have worked together for decades. Hide Caption 6 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John and singer Rod Stewart have a bath at the stadium of Watford Football Club in 1973. John, a lifelong Watford fan, later owned the English soccer club. Today, one of the stadium's stands is named after him. Hide Caption 7 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John is overwhelmed by multiple shots on goal while playing around at Watford's stadium in 1974. Hide Caption 8 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John leaves a stage in the United Kingdom circa 1974. That year, he released the album "Caribou," which included songs such as "The Bitch Is Back" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Hide Caption 9 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John gives a typical energetic performance in 1974. Some of the other hit songs he had by this time: "Tiny Dancer," "Levon," "Crocodile Rock" and "Rocket Man." Hide Caption 10 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs in Hawaii in 1974. During his career, he has been nominated for 34 Grammy Awards and won five times. He also has an Academy Award and a Tony Award. Hide Caption 11 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John appears on stage with John Lennon at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1974. Hide Caption 12 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John plays the Pinball Wizard in the 1975 film "Tommy," which is based on The Who's album of the same name. Hide Caption 13 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John reads some fan mail circa 1975. Hide Caption 14 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John poses for a portrait circa 1975. Hide Caption 15 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1975. Hide Caption 16 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John tips his hat after having a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1975. Hide Caption 17 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John poses for a photo with Cher and Diana Ross in the mid-1970s. Hide Caption 18 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs at Earl's Court, a popular arena in London, in the late 1970s. Hide Caption 19 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John appears on "The Muppet Show" in 1978. He performed four of his songs on the episode. Hide Caption 20 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John waves from his car in 1978. Hide Caption 21 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John Fans watch John embrace singer and friend Kiki Dee in 1978. The two had a No. 1 hit, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," in 1976. Hide Caption 22 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John stands in the bedroom of his home in Old Windsor, England, in 1978. Hide Caption 23 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John poses with his mother and stepfather while touring the Kremlin in Moscow in 1979. He was the first rock or pop star from the West to perform in the Soviet Union. Hide Caption 24 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John stands in Tiananmen Square while touring Beijing in 1983. Hide Caption 25 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John married German recording engineer Renate Blauel in 1984. They divorced in 1988. and John told Rolling Stone magazine that year he was "comfortable" being gay. He told the magazine in 1976 that he was bisexual. Hide Caption 26 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs in 1986. Hide Caption 27 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John with actress and singer Liza Minnelli in 1990. Hide Caption 28 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John stands by the bed of AIDS patient Ryan White at a Florida hospital in 1990. Two years later, the singer established the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Hide Caption 29 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John, far left, sits at a table with other celebrities, including actress Kate Capshaw, singer Bruce Springsteen, actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg, at one of his foundation's parties in 1994. The party was held after the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 30 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John From left, Billy Joel, John and Sting perform at a benefit concert for the Rainforest Foundation in 1995. Joel and John toured together often during their careers. Hide Caption 31 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John sings "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. The tribute became one of the best-selling singles of all time. Proceeds were donated to charity. Hide Caption 32 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John and rapper Eminem performed Eminem's "Stan" at the Grammy Awards in 2001. Hide Caption 33 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John Whitney Houston hugs John at the Academy Awards in 2001. A few years earlier, John had won an Oscar for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," his song in Disney's "The Lion King." Hide Caption 34 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John and Billy Joel dance during the final song of a Brian Wilson tribute in New York in 2001. Wilson was one of the original Beach Boys. Hide Caption 35 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John gives his final performance of "The Red Piano" in 2009. The show had been held in Las Vegas since 2004. In 2011, John started another Las Vegas residency, "The Million Dollar Piano." Hide Caption 36 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John holds his son Zachary Jackson Levon in 2011. John and his longtime partner, David Furnish, had the baby through a surrogate. They later welcomed a second son to their family, Elijah Joseph Daniel. Hide Caption 37 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs in Cologne, Germany, in 2011. Hide Caption 38 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John Britain's Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with John at her Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012. In 1998, the Queen knighted John for his music and charity work. Hide Caption 39 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs at the Diamond Jubilee Concert. Hide Caption 40 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs with Ed Sheeran at the 2013 Grammy Awards. They teamed up for Sheeran's song "The A Team." Hide Caption 41 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John U2 singer Bono, right, talks with John, Furnish and their son Zachary at an Academy Awards viewing party in 2013. Hide Caption 42 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John and Furnish kiss at the Human Rights Campaign's National Dinner in 2014. They married in December of that year. Hide Caption 43 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John meets with US Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014. The two talked about John's foundation as well as PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Hide Caption 44 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John, Furnish and their two boys pose for a photo in 2015. Hide Caption 45 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John walks with his son Zachary in Saint-Tropez, France, in 2015. Hide Caption 46 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John joins talk-show host James Corden for a a little "carpool karaoke" in 2016. Hide Caption 47 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John attends Vanity Fair's Oscars party in February 2017. Hide Caption 48 of 50

Photos: The legendary Elton John John performs in Victoria, British Columbia, in March 2017. Hide Caption 49 of 50