On This Day in 1997, Elton John Performed a Princess Diana Tribute, That He Later Said He “Didn’t Think Diana Would Have Wanted”

On September 6, 1997, the whole world seemingly gathered together to grieve the sudden and tragic death of Princess Diana, and Elton John was there to provide the musical tribute. The service took place in Westminster Abbey, with 2,000 people in attendance in the church and roughly two billion people watching via television worldwide.

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John’s tribute was divisive even to him. On the one hand, his musical ode to the late princess broke chart records, record sales raised millions of pounds for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and it became one of John’s most widely seen moments of his entire career.

But too much of anything can turn sour, and not long after John’s funeral performance and subsequent single release, the singer realized the song was expanding into something he “didn’t think Diana would have wanted.”

Elton John Performed Touching Princess Diana Tribute in 1997

News of Princess Diana’s death sent shockwaves around the global community. Her reputation superseded that of the royal family. Even those who weren’t royalists loved her down-to-earth attitude, philanthropic work, influential style, and the way she was raising her two young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. When she died at 36, the entire world grieved. As thousands of mourners flocked to St. James’s Palace to sign the book of condolences, many of them began writing excerpts from Elton John’s “Candle In The Wind”, a song he and Bernie Taupin wrote about Marilyn Monroe, another beloved (and at times divisive) figure gone too soon.

Richard Branson called John to tell him about his song becoming a de facto anthem for the public’s mourning process over Princess Diana. Branson asked John if he would rewrite the lyrics to be about the late princess and perform it at her funeral on September 6, 1997. Nervously, John agreed, but only because he believed the Spencer family was the one who told Branson to reach out. John didn’t want people to think he was capitalizing on the death of Princess Diana (although Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones accused him of doing that anyway).

“I don’t remember much about the performance itself,” John wrote in his autobiography, Me. “But I remember the applause afterwards. It seemed to start outside Westminster Abbey and sweep into the church itself, which I guess meant that Diana’s family had achieved their aim in getting me to sing. It connected with the people outside.”

The Single’s Overwhelming Success Came at a Great Emotional Cost

Elton John’s relationship to Princess Diana was complicated at the time of her death. The pair were friends for years, but a professional falling out caused the two to lose touch. The princess had agreed to write a foreword for a book Gianni Versace was releasing, but pulled out at the last minute, claiming she didn’t know the contents of the book would be so homoerotic. John pushed back on her decision, challenging her to admit that the royal family had forced her to renege on her offer. She responded coldly, John recalled in his autobiography, and it wasn’t until Versace’s death in July 1997 that the pair reconnected.

Sales of John’s musical tribute to Princess Diana were astounding, to say the least. “Candle in the Wind 1997” broke chart records. It raised millions of pounds for the princess’ memorial funds. People began requesting John to play Diana’s version of the song in concert. “In the end, it reached a point where I started feeling really uncomfortable with the charity single’s longevity,” he wrote in Me. “Its success meant there was footage of Diana’s funeral week after week on Top of the Pops. It felt as if people were somehow wallowing in her death, like the mourning for her had got out of hand.”

“It seemed unhealthy to me,” he continued. “Morbid and unnatural. I really didn’t think it was what Diana would have wanted. It was getting ridiculous, and I didn’t want to do anything to prolong it any further.”

Since then, John has refused to play Princess Diana’s version of “Candle in the Wind” at his concerts. The only time he publicly revisits the death and legacy of his old friend for any reason is if her sons ask him to do so.

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