Elton John is quitting touring after nearly 50 years, the Mirror can reveal.

The 70-year-old star, whose record sales have been in decline in recent years, is calling time on the road after one last world tour, named Farewell, Yellow Brick Road .

The singer, who has been dogged by ill health, confirmed his goodbye tour in a live-streamed press conference on Wednesday afternoon - but insisted his health wasn't in question.

"I'm not in ill health - you couldn't do 300 performances if you were ill," he told the audience at New York's Gotham Hall.

(Image: Youtube) (Image: Youtube)

Elton, who is partnering with Gucci for the 300+ dates, will start his tour in North America before travelling to Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia.

It will take him into 2021, by which time he'll be 73.

His retirement from touring won't affect other performances - and he'll continue with his Las Vegas residency until the planned final show on May 19 2018.

The shock news comes after he almost died from a rare bacterial infection he contracted during his tour of South America last year.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

(Image: PA) (Image: Getty)

The Rocket Man singer spent two nights in intensive care and 12 days in hospital after becoming “violently” ill on a flight back to Britain following a performance in Santiago, Chile,on April 10.

His husband David Furnish, 55, later admitted that it has been a terrifying time for him and their two sons, who were all “very frightened and very scared”.

"The kids understood daddy wasn’t well. They didn’t know the seriousness of it, obviously, but they came to visit him in hospital as that was an important part of keeping the patient’s spirits up," he said.

"We didn’t give them the full lowdown because we didn’t want to overwhelm them."

(Image: Dan Mullan) (Image: Splash)

Describing his husband's symptoms, he continued: “He had terrible ­abdominal pains, a fever, swelling, chills, his teeth were chattering, he was sweating.

“It was like food poisoning but much more serious. He clearly needed to be admitted to hospital.”

Speaking at the Lqd skincare launch for London Fashion Week Men’s, David added: “It was a very rare bacterial infection.

"He was very, very sick. But all is well that ends well. He’s in a great place now. He’s back to work and on full form.”

In July 2013, Elton's concert at London’s Hyde Park was cancelled when the star had to undergo emergency appendicitis surgery - and he later admitted he "could have easily died" without treatment.

(Image: Reuters) (Image: Sunday Mirror)

(Image: Coventry Telegraph Archive)

(Image: PA)

"I knew I was sick but I didn’t know I had such a dangerous thing inside of me until I had a scan, which was after nine shows, 24 flights and a summer ball," he said at the time.

Describing his illness as a 'wake-up call', he vowed to cut back on his touring for the sake of his health.

“Of course, your sense of your mortality kicks in... I don’t have to tour. I don’t need the money. I just love playing," he said in 2013.

"When I had the operation, I said: 'This has got to stop, this is crazy, why am I doing this?’ I’m a great believer in signs coming to you in life to tell you something. This appendix thing, it’s so lucky I didn’t die. So I’m treating is as a sign in great big letters saying ‘for f---’s sake, get a grip!”

(Image: Mirrorpix)

(Image: PA)

He first toured in 1970 after a series of shows at LA's Troubadour Club, and currently has a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where he has dates scheduled until May 2018.

His show, The Million Dollar Piano, started in 2011 and has to date included 207 performances.

It followed on from the success of his previous residency, The Red Piano, which ran from 2004 to 2009, and in 2015 it was reported that Elton was raking in a staggering £350,000 per show - knocking Britney Spears off the Vegas top spot.

(Image: WireImage)

(Image: PA Archive/Press Association Images)

He was forced to cancel the 2017 spring leg of his residency after being hospitalised, and as a result added an extra 27 dates last June.

It has been a difficult period for the icon, who lost his good friend George Michael on Christmas Day in 2016, followed by his his mother Sheila Farebrother in December .

"So sad to say that my mother passed away this morning," he wrote on Instagram alongside a shot of them together.

"I only saw her last Monday and I am in shock. Travel safe Mum. Thank-you for everything. I will miss you so much. Love, Elton."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: Mirrorpix)

The I'm Still Standing singer had a troubled relationship with his mother and the two spent several years not speaking, until he buried the hatchet by sending her an enormous bouquet of white orchids on her 90th birthday.

He told the Mirror at the time: "We are now back in touch. Out of respect for my mother's privacy, I have always shied away from speaking publicly about our relationship.

Carpool Karaoke

"However, I can say that we are now back in touch and have been so since my mother’s 90th birthday."

Despite their eight long years of silence, Elton continued to pay for Sheila's lifestyle and spent £30,000 for her to have a double hip replacement two years ago.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Their feud began, as she once revealed, over Elton's demands Sheila cut contact with two of her longtime friends, who were formerly employees of the singer.

Meanwhile, he described losing George - who he dueted on 1991 hit Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me with - as one of the worst moments in his life.

"Losing him was one of the most devastating things that had happened to me for a long, long time," the heartbroken star said.