Elton John to 'set the record straight' about feud with Rod Stewart in new chapter of autobiography 'Me'
Singer-songwriter-pianist Elton John and rocker Rod Stewart are not on the best of terms with each other currently. The issues between them cropped up last year and now the 73-year-old Elton is said to be preparing to "set the record straight" about his prolonged public clash with 75-year-old Stewart by way of writing a new chapter for his autobiography 'Me', according to Daily Mail.
The two are believed to have had a falling out at some point last year after the 'Maggie May' singer lambasted Elton's decision to do an elaborate and extensive farewell tour, announcing shows around the world. He also called Elton's biopic "not very flattering". Elton is now planning to respond to all these jabs in his own way. He is believed to be ready to explain what transpired between him and Stewart and a personal account of it will feature in the new chapter of his autobiography.
A source close to Elton told The Sun, "Rod's continued barbed and personal criticism of his recent successes has crossed a line beyond their usual friendly rivalry. Elton cherishes his friendship with Rod and hasn't wanted to go public so made attempts to contact Rod directly to clear the air. When his requests to speak were either knocked back or went unanswered, Elton felt compelled to set the record straight with this new chapter in his autobiography."
The source also added that Stewart hasn't extended a conciliatory gesture to Elton. This comes close on the heels of the claims Stewart made about having tried to reach out to his former pal to try and mend their friendship, only for this to be ignored.
Speaking to Chris Evans on his 'How to Wow' podcast, Stewart said, "We don't talk to each other anymore. Big falling out. Last time I emailed him I said, 'I've got this football pitch, would you like the boys to come up?' You know, cos they both (Elton's husband David Furnish) love football."
The personal pitch allegedly remained unanswered by Elton and Furnish who share sons, nine-year-old Zachary and seven-year-old Elijah. The same as Stewart who is married to Penny Lancaster and the couple have two boys too of similar age, 14-year-old Alistair and nine-year-old Aiden.
The feud was made public by Stewart last year during an interview with Dermot O'Leary. "We're not talking nowadays. He has got the hump with me now. We're both very stubborn so neither of us call each other." He further said, "I do love Elton, only we‘re not talking at the moment. We've had a spat. I criticized his tour as being money-grabbing."
Elsewhere during the same interview, he also spoke about Elton's biopic 'Rocketman'. "It was OK, I just wished it hadn’t been a musical. I mean, the dancing outside the council house made it a bit Mamma Mia." Back in 2018, Stewart said during an appearance on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen', "If I retire, I won’t make an announcement. I'll just fade away. I don't think this is a big deal, it stinks of selling tickets."
Stewart was referring to Elton's ongoing 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour. It started in 2018 and is currently scheduled to wrap up in 2023.