Elton John shares hilarious throwback pic of himself dressed as Donald Duck
It was 40 years ago
Elton John is known for his extravagant outfits and glasses, but over the weekend the singer shared a hilarious pic of himself from 40 years ago, dressed as the cartoon character Donald Duck.
Telling his fans on social media the reason why, Elton said, '40 years ago today, I went on stage dressed like this 🐣🐥🐤 for a free concert to 500,000 people in Central Park 🚀🚀🚀 Thank-you @bobmackie for my Donald Duck suit and @calvinklein for sponsoring the whole shebang 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻' (sic)
And it wasn't long before Elton fans were leaving messages for the singer, reminiscing about times they've seen him live. One fan wrote, 'I was there with my dad !!!!! My dad took me to my 1st Elton John Concert in 1976 at Madison Square Garden during the Louder Than Concorde (But Not Quite As Pretty)" tour…..4 years later I took him to this show ..', with another saying, 'Enjoyed the music then and all through the costume era and continue to enjoy Elton's music'.
A further fan recounted a funny story where his mum didn't realise the man in the duck suit was Elton John, 'Funny story. Was sitting glued to the TV when my Mother walked in to find me watching the concert. She was not happy. Two or three arguments later I turned it off and went to listen to the stereo. She was happy. Until I told her the album was Elton John's greatest hits. She was listening to the guy in the duck costume.
'She and I then went back and turned on the TV. She still (40 years later) can't believe she likes the music of some guy who dresses in a duck costume.'
This fantastic throwback photo comes just a few days after Elton shared a reunion pic with Taron Egerton, who played the role of Elton John in Rocketman. The pair reunited for the first time since the Golden Globes recently, with Elton telling his fans, 'Lunch in the garden with this lovely man. We haven’t seen each other since the Golden Globes. Love him so much ❤️🚀'.
Now take a look through the cast of Rocketman:
Taron Egerton as Elton John
Welsh actor Taron Egerton played Elton John in the film about his life. Luckily, Taron is already an accomplished singer, so didn't need a lot of coaching on that aspect of taking on the role.
He's best known for his role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in both Kingsman and its sequel, The Golden Circle. He also had a role in Legend opposite Tom Hardy, and played the titular character in Eddie the Eagle opposite Hugh Jackman.
Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin
Jamie Bell stars in the film as Bernie Taupin, Elton's songwriting partner. After meeting in 1967, the pair have now worked together on more than 30 albums.
Of course, film fans will recognise Jamie as the titular role in Billy Elliot, a film he starred in at the age of just 13. He also starred in 2005's King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin and Fantastic Four.
Richard Madden as John Reid
Richard Madden portrays Elton's long-time music manager and former lover, John Reid. Not only did he manage Elton for over 20 years, but he also spent three years looking after Queen in their early days.
Richard is known for his role as Sgt David Budd in Bodyguard, but rose to prominence after starring as Robb Stark in internationally-acclaimed TV series, Game Of Thrones. He has also had a career in theatre.
Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila Eileen
Bryce Dallas Howard plays the role of Elton's mum, Sheila Eileen. Although she and Elton did not get on for a long time, they reconciled towards the end of her life, and she was a big part of his Christmas advert for M&S in 2018.
Bryce herself has the film industry in her blood, as she's the daughter of prolific film director Ron Howard. Although she's had many roles, she's known for playing Claire Dearing in the new Jurassic World reboot film series opposite Chris Pratt.
Stephen Graham as Dick James
Stephen Graham portrays Dick James in the film, a British music publisher who signed Elton to his label and encouraged him to use a stage name.
Fans of This Is England will recognise Stephen as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne, but many others may know him as Tommy from 2000 film Snatch. He also joined the cast of Line Of Duty for the fifth series.
Gemma Jones as Ivy
Gemma Jones plays Ivy in the film, Elton's grandmother. In fact, it was Ivy's piano that Elton first learned to play on at the age of three. He was partly raised by her along with his mother as his father was away with the RAF.
Gemma has had a long and successful career in acting, and after playing Mrs Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility opposite Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, starred as Bridget's mum Pam in the film series. She also played nurse Madame Pomfrey in the Harry Potter film franchise.
Tate Donovan as Doug Weston
Tate Donovan plays Doug Weston in Rocketman, the owner of nightclub The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, which played an important role in making Elton's career a success.
Tate is a rather well-known actor, but younger audiences will recognise him as the voice of Hercules in the 1997 Disney film. Alternatively, Tate was memorable as Rachel Green's boyfriend Joshua in TV series, Friends. He also had a main role in Argo, starring and directed by Ben Affleck.
You can hear songs by Elton John on Magic.