Elton John has a date marked in his calendar, and it isn’t for a concert.
It’s the day Eminem quit drugs. In a joint interview with Interview magazine in 2017 about the album Revival, Elton told him straight out: “The day you started your sobriety is marked in my calendar. I’m very proud of you”. His sobriety also has a date: he entered rehab in 1990 and had been clean for 27 years by then. Eminem entered rehab in 2008.
They met at the 2001 Grammys, where they performed “Stan” together. Eminem has admitted that he was under the influence of drugs at the time. Years later, when he wanted to quit, one of the first people he called was Elton, who has served as his sponsor. In The Guardian, John explained that helping others stay sober means giving them your phone number and calling to see how they’re doing, and said that’s what he did with Eminem.
Two musicians from opposite worlds, united by the same battle. 💙