Overview

• On July 29, 2025, Elton John marked 35 years of sobriety with an Instagram post celebrating his recovery milestone.
• The post featured a bouquet of flowers and handmade cards from his sons, Elijah and Zachary, accompanied by the caption “Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday.”
• His path to sobriety began after the 1990 death of AIDS activist Ryan White prompted him to check into Parkside Lutheran Hospital in Chicago on July 29 of that year.
• His struggles with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine were chronicled in his 2019 memoir Me and dramatized in the Rocketman biopic.
• Since achieving sobriety, he has mentored fellow artists in recovery—publicly supporting Boy George and serving as Eminem’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.