ELTON JOHN RECEIVES HUMANITIES MEDAL

 

British singer Elton John was left teary-eyed and flabbergasted after being awarded a surprise national humanities medal by President Biden, following a concert at the White House on Friday night.

John, 75, who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a world-renowned singer, pianist and songwriter. He has also championed numerous charities and humanitarian causes, especially those tackling HIV/AIDS.

Flanked by the president and first lady, John, wearing his signature red-tinted spectacles, looked visibly shocked as he first spotted the medal, covering his face with his hands in disbelief.

I'm never flabbergasted, but I'm flabbergasted and humbled and honored by this incredible award from the United States of America, he said, overcome, moments after clutching Jill Biden's hand and hugging her husband. I will treasure this so much.

The Grammy-winning singer praised America's kindness to me as a musician, calling it second to none, and vowed that the medal would push him to redouble his efforts to help eradicate the illness that impacts more than 38 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization.

The concert on the South Lawn, titled A Night When Hope and History Rhyme, was part of his farewell tour after a glittering 50-year career. It was also an event to honor everyday history-makers in the audience, according to the White House, among them teachers, military families and LGBT+ advocates.

John dedicated Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me to Ryan White and his mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, who attended the concert. Her son lost his life to AIDS-related complications after a blood transfusion and died in 1990, just a month before his high school graduation.

The legendary singer launched the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over $450 million and funded programs across four continents. In between songs, John spoke to the audience about his hope to help eradicate the virus by 2030.

His medal from Biden will sit alongside his Legion d'Honneur, given to him by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019.

 

To read the complete article, see:
Elton John ‘flabbergasted' and teary after Biden surprises him with medal (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/09/24/elton-john-medal-biden-white-house/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
AAS ACCEPTS NATIONAL HUMANITIES MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n36a19.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web