Elton John is still standing after knee surgery, and did something quite unique to mark the occasion.
A year after the 78-year-old first stepped out wearing a necklace that featured his right kneecap, he’s explained why he chose to turn his old knees into jewellery.
“When I had my kneecaps removed, the left one first and then the right, I asked my surgeon if I could keep the kneecaps,” Elton recalled in his new documentary Touched By Gold.
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Elton said the surgeon was rather startled by the request, but went along with it.
“My surgeon said I had the worst knees he’s ever operated on,” he added.
“That hole was actually in my kneecap. It looks a bit like an old artifact from Egypt.”
The Yellow Brick Road hitmaker enlisted the help of jewellery designer Theo Fennell to turn his old kneecaps into the unique pieces.
Elton apparently told the jeweller to do what he wanted and he’s crafted something quite special out of them.
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He started by baking the kneecaps to dry them out, which made them more workable to turn them into the jewellery pieces.
Elton noted he “brilliantly had the necklace chain made out of bones” to add the right detail to the kneecap pendant.
On the back of the pendant there’s a phrase in Latin which translates to: “I will no longer bow to any man”.
The other kneecap was turned into a brooch, and Elton believes the pieces will stand the test of time.
“I honestly think these are timeless pieces that will last for centuries,” he said.
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The Rocket Man singer, who had his double knee replacement last year, shocked fans when he wore the pendant featuring his old right kneecap to the UK premiere of his documentary Never Too Late in October 2024.
He wore a tailored brown suit, paired with a pink and green pinstripe shirt for the event, but the jewellery was the real standout.
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Elton has been open about his health struggles in recent years, including his knee issues.
“To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left,” he said at the New York Film Festival. “I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate.”
“I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee.
“In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I’m still here.”
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