Forget yellow bricks, for Elton John the road is paved with gold.
The Rocket Man may have retired from touring, but his wealth continues to climb into the stratosphere thanks to an incomparable music catalog.
In fact, Elton John is one of only six musicians who have made it onto the 2025 edition of U.K. publication The Sunday Times Rich List.
The yearly list reveals the 350 wealthiest individuals and families in Britain. It’s typically dominated by big business owners, retail tycoons and investors.
This year, there are just six musicians on the list, all of them men.
Sir Elton John had risen from position 291 to 283 on this year’s list, with a total worth of £475m or just north of $640 million dollars. That’s an increase of nearly $7million over last year.
Elton John’s Wealth Continues to Rise With New Projects
That jump is due, at least in part, to the singer’s new projects.
In April, Elton John released the album “Who Believes in Angels” with singer Brandi Carlile. That album debuted at number one in the UK album chart.
Elton John says making the record with Carlile brought him face-to-face with his own mortality. And the moment was caught on video.
In an interview alongside Carlile on Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett’s “SmartLess” podcast, Elton said one song about aging hit him hard. “It’s called ‘When This Old World Is Done with Me.’ And so I’m writing the verse, like, ‘Oh, this is really pretty,’ and then I get to the chorus, and, of course, it’s about my death,” he said on the podcast.
“When you get when you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’ And you’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband. You just think about mortality. And so, when I got to the chorus, I just broke down for 45 minutes, and it’s all on film,” said John.
Carlile was beside the singer when he hit that emotional moment. “He got to the end of that chorus, and his voice started to shake. And I thought, ‘Oh he’s going to really go,” Carlile said on the podcast.
John joked that Carlile then “came over and she said, ‘Don’t worry. You’ve got at least another six months.’”
Elton John Continues to Seek Out Collabs
In addition to his joint album with Brandi Carlile, the singer has found success in other collabs as well.
According to Parade, Elton’s 2021 duet with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. And then it stayed there for 31 weeks.
The same year he also released “Hold Me Closer” with Britney Spears. He also dropped a documentary film of his farewell tour. “Elton John: Never Too Late,” premiered in November 2024 and is available to stream on Disney+.
And now that he’s mended a long-time rift with singer Madonna, there’s talk of a future collab there too.
Elton John Is Nowhere Near the Richest Musician in the U.K.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Elton John has sold over 300 million albums worldwide. He’s one of the most commercially successful artists ever.
But the wealthiest musician on the The Sunday Times Rich List is Sir Paul McCartney. The 82-year-old has an estimated wealth of £1.025billion or about $1.3billion. His portfolio rose by £25m ($33million) from last year. That’s thanks to the ticket sales from his “Got Back” world tour. Sir Paul played more than 60 shows worldwide, performing a range of Beatles hits and solo material.
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How Much Is Elton John Worth?