Sir Elton John has revealed he felt a ‘void’ open up after he changed his name to help his career.
The singer, 77, ditched his birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight, in his 20s in a bid to help his career.
The veteran popstar explained that he made the decision to re-invent himself because he hated his original moniker but also admitted that he has come to regret his decision.
He revealed: ‘I realised I’d put everything into my work, my art, my recording. There was nothing underneath it, I was just a void.
‘So I’d left little Reggie behind, but little Reggie was still inside of me.’
Sir Elton was speaking on Good Morning America on Tuesday when he made the surprising confession.
Sir Elton John, 77, has revealed he felt a ‘void’ open up after he changed his name to help his career during an interview on Good Morning America on Tuesday
The singer ditched his birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight, in his 20s in a bid to help his career (pictured in 1974)
The veteran popstar explained that he made the decision to re-invent himself because he hated his original moniker but also admitted that he has come to regret his decision (pictured with King Charles III November 24, 2024)
The Rocketman singer revealed that he had always hated his birth name and opted for Elton to stand out from the crowd.
He said: ‘Reginald is a really old fashioned name, shortened to Reggie, which I hated. But in America it’s quite a popular name.’
He went on to say: ‘But I just didn’t like it. As soon as I could I changed my name.
‘I was very clever, I thought no one is really called Elton, so I will be Elton and I will be the only Elton.’
The Tiny Dancer singer went on to reveal that he had also wanted to leave his childhood behind and opted for a very different name in order to take on a new persona.
He told the US show: ‘I wanted to leave my childhood and that persona behind, but that caught up with me.’
But Sir Elton explained that he came to regret the decision because he felt there was nothing underneath his new persona and he hadn’t truly left little Reggie behind.
The star initially performed under his birth name Reggie in the 1960s but decided to ditch the ‘old-fashioned’ stage name and was inspired by his band mates.
The Tiny Dancer singer explained that he had also wanted to leave his childhood behind and opted for a very different name in order to take on a new persona and block out unhappy memoires (pictured with Bernie Taupin 1970)
But Sir Elton explained that he came to regret the decision because he felt there was nothing underneath his new persona and he hadn’t truly left little Reggie behind
The star’s admission comes after he recently revealed he lost eyesight in his right eye in the summer in France and as a result can’t see, read or watch anything
His now famous name was a combination of Bluesology bandmate Elton Dean and Long John Baldry, with Hercules thought to be a nod to the name of a horse in the TV show Steptoe and Son.
Speaking about his name change in 1987, Sir Elton previously said his name change gave him a whole new personality, according to Metro.
‘I became Elton John, it was like a new lease on life,’ he said.
‘I didn’t particularly like being Reg Dwight. It had too many unhappy memories.
‘I hated the word Reg, anyway. It was just a horrible name. As soon as I was Elton, it was just great. It was like a new personality.’
The star’s admission comes after he recently revealed he lost eyesight in his right eye in the summer in France and as a result can’t see, read or watch anything.
The hitmaker, who played his final shows last summer, revealed his eyesight issues in September.
He took to his Instagram with a lengthy post, explaining how he spent the past few months ‘recuperating at home.’
The hitmaker, who played his final shows last summer, revealed his eyesight issues in September (pictured performing at Glastonbury 2023)
Speaking to ABC News last month about his new documentary Never Too Late, Elton admitted he wasn’t sure about his ability to record any new music, as he puts all his focus on his health
Elton wrote: ‘Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye.
‘I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.
‘I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks.’
Elton concluded: ‘I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.’
And his health battles of undermined any new music from the star.
Speaking to ABC News last month about his new documentary Never Too Late, Elton admitted he wasn’t sure about his ability to record any new music, as he puts all his focus on his health.
He said: ‘It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France.
‘It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment.
‘Because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start.
‘We’re taking an initiative to try and get it better, but at the moment that’s really what we’re concentrating on.’
