Sir Elton John underwent a planned appendectomy on Thursday at Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco and is now recuperating at his home in Nice, France.
The 66-year-old singer had been battling symptoms of appendicitis for over a month. After consulting with his doctor, he postponed the rest of his European summer tour in order to schedule the surgery.
He recently acknowledged, “I’m lucky to be alive. I was a ticking time bomb. I guess I could have died at any time. I feel so lucky and so grateful to be alive. I played nine gigs and the White Tie and Tiara Summer Ball in agony.”
During the 2013 Life Ball in Vienna in mid-June, Sir Elton rubbed elbows with former President Bill Clinton during Europe’s biggest HIV-AIDS fundraising event of the year.
Sir Elton posted a message to his fans via Twitter: “I cannot wait to see you all and thank you in person when I resume my concert schedule later this year. In the meantime, please know that I consider myself a very blessed man to have such caring and considerate fans.”
Elton and his partner David Furnish have two sons, Zachary, 2, and Elijah, 6-months.
Photo: WENN