Just over two years later, Elijah Joseph Daniel was born on January 11, 2013 to the same surrogate.
Elijah “completes our family in a most precious and perfect way,” Elton told Hello! magazine. “I've learned that a parent's capacity for love is endless. When another child is born, our depth of love just grows deeper and wider, so it was very emotional.”
The children call Elton “Daddy” and David, a Canadian filmmaker and former advertising executive, “Papa.”
Elton, who rose to fame in the 1970s with hits like Your Song, Crocodile Rock and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, told Ellen DeGeneres in 2016 he never expected he would have children.
"If you'd had said to me ten years ago I'd be sitting on your show married to the man I love and have two beautiful children, I would have said you put acid in my drink," said Elton on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"But life throws you challenges ... and these two children have come along at a time I never thought I'd have children. They are the greatest thing in our lives. There are no words to describe how much we love these boys. They're just amazing."
The couple have fiercely protected the anonymity of the surrogate. “She is a wonderful, kind and loving woman, who we love like a sister,” said the Rocket Man singer. “We have a very close bond with her and were in constant touch throughout the pregnancy, getting updates, seeing scans and sharing all the little details that make those nine months so exciting.”
Since the birth of his children, the iconic pianist has decided to retire from performing – but not before embarking on a final Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The tour, which began in 2018, will include more than 200 performances throughout the world, culminating in two shows in London in December, 2020.
“Having had children and seeing how much joy they brought to us, I thought, ‘Do you know what? I want to spend more time with them,'” said Elton, who met David at a dinner party at his home in 1993. “I have to spend more time with them. I’m their father, David is their father. They give us so much joy. I don’t want to miss too much.'”
Elton told Hello!, it was an “easy decision” to retire. “I just never thought that fatherhood could bring me so much joy, and I came to fatherhood late in the day, but it’s been one of the miracles of my life,” he said. “It seems to me something happens in my life every now and then which propels me to a different stage. This is a different stage and it’s probably the most wonderful stage.”
Zachary and Elijah will join Elton on tour. "They will be coming on some of the tour with us, I am going to take them out of school for nine months with a tutor,” said the Candle in the Wind singer. “I love them so much, I don’t want to miss them and I don’t want them to miss me."
And since having children, the couple have opted for a simpler life.
"We have really toned things down because we have enough stuff,” said Elton. “There is nothing else we need."
