The Emmy Awards program on Monday night honored British singer Elton John with a prize for his movie which Disney+ presented in 2023.
With the win, John completed the career accomplishment known as an “EGOT.” The letters stand for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Those are the four major awards in the United States for the performing arts.
John said he was “incredibly humbled” after learning about the award.
John became the 19th EGOT winner. Others include Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend.
The film covered his “farewell” performance at the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, Dodger Stadium, in late 2022. It was the last show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road traveling show, or tour, which started in 2018 and continued through 2022 after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recording of his concert won in the category called “Variety Special (Live).” The other nominees included the halftime show from the 57th Super Bowl, the 75th Tony Awards, a performance by comedian Chris Rock and the 95th Academy Awards, or Oscars.
David Furnish, John’s partner, helped produce the three-hour concert film. Furnish attended Monday’s ceremony in Los Angeles. He said John was sleeping at his home in Great Britain.
Furnish said he used a video call app to tell John the news.
“We FaceTimed him. We woke him up in the middle of the night,” Furnish said. John is recovering from a knee replacement medical operation.
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated John on the social media service X.
“Sir Elton John has been a tidal wave throughout his career to help people rise up and make hope and history rhyme,” he posted.
In a statement sent out after winning the award, John said he appreciated the “unwavering support of my fans all around the world.” He added: “Tonight is a testament to the power of the arts and the joy that it brings to all our lives. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career. I am incredibly grateful.”
John has several Grammy Awards for his singing and recording career. He won a Tony for writing the music for the Broadway musical Aida. He won two Oscars for writing songs in movies, first for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocket Man.
I’m Jill Robbins.
Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.
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Words in This Story
career –n. the results of a person job or profession over a period of time
accomplishment –n. a major thing that a person does of which they are proud
humble –v. to cause a person to feel less important or proud
halftime –n. the middle of a big sports event that usually has some kind of performance while the teams prepare for the second half
concert –n. a musical performance
congratulate –v. to tell someone that you are happy for their success or good fortune
testament –n. proof that something is the case or is true