Sir Elton John secures EGOT status with Emmy win
The singer was not at the ceremony to receive his award after undergoing knee surgery.
Sir Elton John has become the 19th performer to earn coveted EGOT status, a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
The British superstar won his first Emmy for Elton Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, which bagged the best variety special live prize at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The musician, 76, could not pick up the honour himself after having a knee operation.
The award is added to Sir Elton’s five Grammy wins, two Academy Award wins for Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King and (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again from Rocketman, alongside his Tony award for best original score for musical Aida.
“We won an Emmy and I am on cloud nine!!” Sir Elton said on Instagram.
“Receiving this recognition is a testament to the passion and dedication of everyone involved, and I am so deeply grateful.
“Whilst I am gutted that I couldn’t be there to accept this award in person – I recently underwent a knee operation, a gentle reminder, perhaps, of a lifetime spent jumping off pianos – my heartfelt thanks go out to the @televisionacad and all those who took the time to vote. This award reflects the collective effort and creativity of an amazing team.”
Sir Elton thanked his “incredible special guests” Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile and Kiki Dee “for joining me on stage that special night”, as well as a special acknowledgement for the “exceptional band and the entire crew of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour”.
“Honoured to have joined the hallowed ranks of EGOT winners, here’s to the joy of music and the magic it brings to our lives,” he added.
Producer Ben Winston, who picked up the award on his behalf, said: “I am not Elton John, sadly he had a knee op. He’s absolutely fine but wanted to send his love and thanks to the Television Academy for this incredible award.
“We knew this show would be historic because it was going to be Elton’s last ever show in North America on tour. We knew it would be historic because it was Disney’s first live global stream.
“We didn’t know it would be historic because it was going to win a man – who has created the soundtrack to our lives, he’s done so much great for society, who is all of our hero’s – we didn’t know it would win him an EGOT.”
EGOT, the designation given to people who have won all four of the major American art awards, is a highly coveted status held by only a small number of people.
Previous EGOT winners include Audrey Hepburn, John Gielgud, Mel Brooks and Whoopi Goldberg.
Musical titans Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice finally secured EGOT status in 2018 when they won an Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert.
Sir Elton is the 19th person to become a competitive EGOT winner, following on from Viola Davis, who bagged her fourth award in the quartet in 2023 when she won a Grammy for best audiobook narration for Finding Me.
Non-competitive EGOT winners, where one of the awards was honorary or non-competitive, include Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Quincy Jones.
