Elton John (L) and Madonna. (Photo via Madonna’s Instagram)
Earlier this month, Madonna and Elton John put an end to their decades-long feud. The Grammy-winning singer made a post on Instagram, sharing a photo of her hugging Elton John after his performance on SNL where she went to see him perform.
“I remember when I was in high school – I snuck out of the house one night to see Elton perform live in Detroit!” the caption of her post reads. “It was an unforgettable performance that helped me understand the transformative power of music.”
The feud officially began when the “Rocket Man” singer made public remarks about Madonna in 2002, ridiculing her James Bond theme “Die Another Day” and calling it the “worst Bond tune ever.”
In the years following, he also made jabs at her live singing abilities, and in 2012, he dubbed her the “fairground stripper,” the same year that Madonna won an award for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes over John.
“Over the decades, it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn’t understand it,” she shares in her post.
Before the official ceasefire, John praised Madonna in 2023 for performing “Live to Tell” on tour to honor AIDS victims.
The caption of her post claims that the first words John shared when seeing her backstage were, “Forgive me.”
“Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging,” she wrote. “Then he told me [he] has written a song for me and wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle!!”
Read it in full below:
In the comments, John shared his appreciation for her visit and her forgiveness.
“I’m not proud of what I said. Particularly when I think about all the groundbreaking work you have done as an artist – paving the way for an entire generation of female artists to succeed and be true to themselves.”
John continues by writing that he is grateful that the two can move forward and goes on to address the threats that marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, who have accepted and embraced the artist, face around the world.
“By pulling together, I’m hopeful that we can make great things happen for those who really need support. And have a lot of fun doing it!”
Read the full comment below.
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