Sir Elton John, a renowned singer, songwriter, and pianist, recently opened up about his journey to success at the New York Film Festival on October 1, 2024.

According to People magazine, the 77-year-old artist made a surprise appearance for the U.S. premiere of his documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.

On the stage, John sang Tiny Dancer while playing the piano. Later, he reflected on his remarkable life and career by delivering a heartfelt speech.

Starting his speech, he shared his joy with the audience by saying, “[I’ve] never felt happiness like I have now. I’m 77 years of age, I’ve done all there is to do…”

“When I first became successful in those first five years, it was wonderful. It was all I wanted. I wanted people to love the songs, buy the records,” he shared.

Reflecting on his love for music and how it helped him during his bleak days, he asserted, “There’s always been music through the good times and bad times. I’ve always relied on music to pull me through.”

“Even when I was in my darkest times, I still played music, I still recorded music, so I have to say thank you to music for being the most incredible inspiration to me throughout my whole life,” Elton remarked.

Moving forward, the Cold Heart hitmaker also revealed that a drastic change came into his life when he achieved sobriety in 1990.

He quipped, “I began to understand what was missing from my life: humility, gratitude, and faith. I had to build a foundation. Yes, music is wonderful. Fame is wonderful. But it didn’t satisfy me. Something was missing.”

Moreover, the Sacrifice singer admitted that he found true happiness with his husband, David Furnish, and their children.

For those unversed, Elton’s husband David co-directed the documentary with R.J. Cutler that chronicles his career from the begining to his final performance at Dodgers Stadium in November 2022.

It is pertinent to mention that the documentary will come out with a limited theatrical run on November 15, 2024, in the U.S. and U.K. prior to its release on Disney+ on December 13, 2024.