With the recent release of his box office hit biopic, Rocketman, Elton John seems to be all over the headlines these days. Elton has had an amazing career spanning several decades. He’s been nominated for a plethora of awards and won several. He's toured all over the globe, playing thousands of shows, and released so many albums that we can’t even keep track of them.

His personal life has been in the public eye, thanks to two marriages, and he's currently married to another man; they have two children. He’s had his fair share of controversies and accomplishments, and there aren't many people that have had a career like his.

These are 20 facts Elton John fans would be surprised to learn about him.

20 That's Not His Real Name

Elton John is one of the most famous names in the world; however, many people might not realize that that’s not exactly his real name. He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight. The reasoning behind Elton John? He was paying tribute to a singer, Long John Baldry, and a saxophone player, Elton Dean.

19 Important Scholarship

Elton John showed that he was talented from a very young age. So much so that he was able to win a scholarship to a youth program at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He went to his classes on the weekends but, eventually, he’d drop out of school altogether to pursue a career in music.

18 Third Most Successful Billboard Hot 100 Artist

Elton John has had an extremely successful career, and he has won so many awards and broken a number of records over the years. According to CNN, Elton is the third most successful Billboard Hot 100 artist of all time. Only The Beatles and Madonna rank higher than him.

17 He Has Some Important Titles

Elton John has a formal title and that’s Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE. The CBE stands for “Commander of the Order of the British Empire,” which is the third-highest rank in Britain’s Order of Chivalry. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth for everything he’s done in the music industry, plus his fundraising for AIDS research.

16 He's Known For His Costumes

Of course, Elton John is known for his music, but he’s also renowned for his performances, which tend to feature wild costumes. He’s been known to wear some insanely outrageous costumes onstage. He's worn a duck suit, a sequined baseball uniform, feathers, and zany sunglasses, and these examples just scratch the surface.

15 He's A Godfather To Many

One cool thing about Hollywood is seeing how the lives of stars intertwine. Elton John has many famous friends, so it’s only natural that he has a fair amount of godchildren. He’s the godfather of Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham, who are the sons of David and Victoria Beckham. He's also the godfather of Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

14 He's Won An Insane Amount Of Awards

It’s no secret that Elton John has had an extremely successful career. Over the years, he’s been nominated for an insane amount of awards. According to CNN, he was nominated for three Academy Awards (winning once) and nominated for 34 Grammy Awards (winning five, plus the Grammy Legend Award). He was also nominated for four Tony Awards (winning one).

13 Record-Breaking Amount Of Concerts

Of course, being a huge celebrity, he is in high demand, and plenty of people all around the world want to see him. Since his career began in 1969, he has played over 3,500 concerts in over 80 countries. That’s seriously impressive for any artist.

12 He's Written Music For Movies And Plays

Elton John has written and played his own original music, and he writes music for movies and plays, as well. He worked on the soundtrack for The Lion King, and the track “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” earned Elton John his first Academy Award. He also worked on the score for Aida, which led to a Tony Award.

11 He Owns Many Sunglasses

We already know that Elton John is known for his over the top outfits, but he’s also known for wearing some pretty crazy sunglasses, as well. Apparently, he owns over a thousand pairs of them, as he’s obsessed with them as an accessory. You’ll almost always see Elton wearing a unique pair.

10 He Is Philanthropic

Elton John lost one of his best friends, Freddie Mercury, to AIDS. Because of this, Elton spent a lot of time, and put a lot of effort into, raising money for the fight against AIDS. In fact, he founded his own organization in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It has raised more than $225 million for HIV/AIDS research.

9 He's Married

The very first day that same-sex civil unions were made legal in England and Wales, Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, registered their civil partnership. This happened on December 21, 2005. They were then married in December 2014, once homosexual marriage was made legal. Their wedding was a huge event, with many celebrities in attendance.

8 He Has Two Children

Before Elton and David were legally married, the two decided that they wanted to have kids. They wanted to grow a family. By using a surrogate, they had two sons, the first being Zachary Furnish-John, born in December of 2010. Their second son is Elijah Daniel Furnish-John, who was born in January of 2013.

7 He Was Previously Married

Before Elton John married his current partner, David Furnish, he was married one time, to a woman. His first engagement was to his secretary, Linda Woodrow, but that didn't end in marriage. After that, he married a recording engineer named Renate Blauel.

6 He Performed At Princess Diana's Funeral

When Princess Diana died, people all over the world were devastated by her passing. Elton John paid tribute to the late princess by performing his song, “Candle In The Wind”, at her funeral. He re-recorded the song and released it, selling over 33 million copies, and raised millions of dollars for Princess Diana’s Memorial Fund.

5 He Was Inducted Into Two Hall Of Fames

Of course, we know by now that Elton John has been nominated (and won) many awards, has toured all over the globe...and has broken so many records. However, he was also inducted into a couple of halls of fame. In 1992, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

4 He Taught Himself To Play Piano

It’s really no secret that Elton John was born this talented. When he was very young, he taught himself to play the piano, with no help whatsoever. In fact, when he was just three years old, he played “The Skater’s Waltz” perfectly, after learning it by ear. This insane talent was what helped him to earn his scholarship.

3 He Has A Unique Songwriting Approach

When it comes to writing music, Elton John has a little help. For years, he has worked with Bernie Taupin. The two work together to write hit after hit. When writing a new song, they never work in the same room. Bernie writes the lyrics, while Elton arranges the music. They have got it down to such a science. They can have a song done in about 15 minutes or so.

2 Three Year Farewell Tour

In January of 2018, Elton John announced that his next tour was going to be his final tour. He’s been touring for decades, so he finally decided that he was done. In September of that same year, he began his tour in Pennsylvania. The tour will last three years and there will be 300 shows.

1 Worked Hard For His Biopic

Everyone has been talking about Rocketman, the biopic about Elton John. What many people don’t know? It took over two decades to put the film together. Elton and his husband worked together to get the biopic made. After a number of cast changes and finding the right producer and director, Elton’s dream came true and his biopic was created.