The voice behind iconic songs like “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer”, Elton John watched his career land him in both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And during that time, he sold over 300 million albums and accumulated a net worth of around $650 million. If that wasn’t enough, he was the 19th person to become an EGOT recipient. While establishing himself as a true icon, John recently revealed his love for gold and how he fashioned some unique jewelry after having his knees replaced.
On Monday, the World Gold Council released a short documentary called Touched by Gold. In the documentary, John recalled needing to get his knees replaced in 2024. Although having to undergo a double knee replacement, the singer decided to remember the surgery in a special way. “When I had my kneecaps removed, the left one first and then the right, I asked my surgeon if I could keep the kneecaps, which he was rather startled about – then I rang you.”
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The person he rang was none other than famed jeweller Theo Fennell. Not having an idea for the knees, John’s only advice was “do what you want with them.”
Elton John Will “No Longer Bow To Any Man”
With complete creative control, Fennell went to work, explaining how his team turned the knees into gold jewelry. “We had to bake them to dry them out. Then they get raw like pumice stone, they’re very porous. So we had to paint them with acetate and then just polish them up.”
Sharing the piece of jewelry, which included part of his knee, John added, “That’s my right kneecap. That’s my right patella. My surgeon said I had the worst knees he’s ever operated on. That hole was actually in my kneecap. It looks a bit like an old artifact from Egypt.”
Besides having his knee covered in gold, John also engraved a phrase on the necklace that read, “I will no longer bow to any man.”
While loving the idea of the phrase, Fennell joked, “You can’t do that with a kneecap missing.”
Only John could turn a double knee replacement into a glittering piece of rock history that he claimed would be “timeless pieces that will last for centuries.”
(Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
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