Elton John has revealed he's looking forward to retiring after his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour so he can spend time with his two sons, Zachary, 10, and Elijah, eight.
The singer, 74, is due to finish his touring in 2023 and spoke of why he feels the time is right to hand up his microphone in an interview with NME.
Gracing The Big Read cover, Elton said he has had enough of jetting across the world and, during the interview, jokingly called Ed Sheeran a 'f*****g big mouth' for letting the secret of their Christmas song out earlier this month.
Next chapter: Elton John has revealed he's looking forward to retiring after his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour so he can spend time with his two sons, Zachary, 10, and Elijah, eight
Speaking about his world tour, Elton said: 'At the moment I finish supposedly in 2023, in the summer, by which time I'll be 76 – and that's it, baby. I can't wait to do it and have a great time, and I can't wait to finish and say, 'No more – I've had enough.'
'I will do records and I'll do my radio show, but as far as schlepping and doing shows? I've had enough applause. I wanna be with my family. I wanna be with my boys.
'I'll still be creative, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life flying here, flying there. I can't do any more than I've done now and save for the odd charity thing that may come up, that's it for me.'
Playful banter: The music icon also called Ed Sheeran a 'f****** big mouth' for letting the secret of their Christmas song out in an interview with a Dutch radio station earlier this month
Last month, Elton postponed the European and UK leg of his tour until 2023, after suffering a fall.
The music legend revealed he was in 'considerable pain' after injuring his hip and has been advised to have an operation 'as soon as possible'.
As a result, the 2021 dates will now be delayed by two years, while Elton focuses on making a full recovery.
But the singer has been keeping busy and spoke about how Ed had spilled the beans about their
