Elton John has spent more than five decades building an extraordinary fortune. Between hundreds of millions of records sold, blockbuster concert tours, Las Vegas residencies, songwriting royalties, valuable art, and an international real estate portfolio, we currently estimate Elton John’s net worth at $650 million.
Someday, a substantial portion of that fortune will have to go somewhere. But if Elton and his husband, David Furnish, stick to the philosophy they laid out publicly years ago, their two sons should not expect to simply split hundreds of millions of dollars…
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Elton Doesn’t Want His Sons Growing Up With A “Silver Spoon”
Elton and David explained their approach in a series of interviews in 2016, when their sons were still very young.
Elton told the Daily Mirror that he wanted to leave the boys in a “very sound financial state” but believed it was damaging to simply hand children enormous wealth.
“It’s terrible to give kids a silver spoon,” he said.
David explained that the couple admired the philosophy of Warren Buffett, who has famously argued that wealthy parents should give their children enough to pursue whatever they want in life, but not so much that they have no incentive to do anything.
Under the model David described, their children would have enough money for a house, a car and their basic needs. Beyond that, they would be expected to make their own way.
The distinction became particularly amusing given the family involved. David joked that if the boys someday wanted “Picassos or private jets,” they would have to earn the money themselves.
For most people, inheriting enough money to have a house, car and lifetime financial security would qualify as an enormous inheritance. But when your father is worth $650 million, that’s still potentially a relatively small slice of the family fortune.
They Started Teaching The Lesson When The Boys Were Toddlers
Elton and David weren’t merely talking about some future provision in a will. They began trying to teach Zachary and Elijah about money when they were children.
In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Elton explained that each boy received £3 in pocket money. One pound went into savings, another to charity and the third could be spent. They had to earn the money by helping around the house and garden.
The boys had chores including clearing their plates, helping in the kitchen and keeping their rooms tidy. They earned stars on household charts for completing them.
Elton was under no illusion that his children were growing up like typical working-class kids. Their father was one of the world’s richest and most famous musicians, and they had access to homes, travel and experiences most children could never imagine.
His goal was simply to make sure the privilege didn’t eliminate their understanding of work and money.
Elton had grown up in Pinner, England, in a working-class household and began earning money through music long before he was famous. He wanted his sons to understand that the extravagant life surrounding them had been built rather than simply appearing from nowhere.
He even said that when they became old enough to drive, they shouldn’t expect brand-new luxury cars. Their first cars would be used, and they would have to contribute toward them.
It’s Similar To Sting’s Approach – But Not Quite As Extreme
Elton isn’t the only extraordinarily wealthy musician who has worried about what a huge inheritance could do to his children.
Sting, who has a net worth of $550 million, has repeatedly said his six children should not expect to inherit a vast fortune. Sting has framed the issue even more aggressively, saying he expects to spend or give away much of his money and wants his children to succeed on their own.
His Fortune Has Only Grown Since He Made Those Comments
When Elton discussed his inheritance philosophy in 2016, Celebrity Net Worth estimated his fortune at roughly $475 million.
Today, we estimate Elton John’s net worth at $650 million.
The increase isn’t surprising.
His “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour eventually grossed $939.1 million from 330 concerts. He owns an extraordinary songwriting catalog created primarily with Bernie Taupin, a major art and photography collection, and valuable homes around the world.
Even after retiring from full-scale touring in 2023, his music continues to generate royalties through streaming, radio play, licensing and publishing.
So the inheritance question has actually become more significant in the decade since Elton first discussed it.
Fatherhood Changed Elton’s Priorities
Zachary and Elijah are no longer little boys collecting stars for doing chores. Zachary is now 15, and Elijah is 13.
And if anything, Elton appears more focused on his family than he was when he first discussed his inheritance plans.
One of the major reasons he ended his touring career was that he did not want to spend his sons’ teenage years traveling around the world. David has explained that they wanted to be present for what they considered an especially important decade in the boys’ lives.
In a 2024 interview, Elton went even further. After a career that includes more than 300 million records sold, two Oscars, multiple Grammys, a Tony, an Emmy and some of the biggest concert tours ever staged, he said that wasn’t how he ultimately wanted to measure his life.
His real legacy, he said, was being a great husband and an even better father.
There hasn’t been a public update detailing exactly what Zachary and Elijah will eventually inherit. Estate plans can also change dramatically over a lifetime.
But Elton’s publicly stated philosophy has been remarkably clear: his sons should never have to worry about basic financial security.
If they want the Picasso, they’ll have to earn that part themselves.
