Elton John has praised Madonna for paying tribute to those who died from AIDS during her new Celebration World Tour.
On 14 October, the ‘Like a Virgin’ singer finally kicked off her highly anticipated world tour months after she was hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection.
Splitting the show into five acts, Madonna delivered a dazzling performance that featured sickening choreography, larger-than-life set pieces, a Beyoncé shout-out, Bob the Drag Queen and over 40 songs from her legendary catalogue.
In addition to the high-energy numbers, Madonna’s show featured stripped-down moments, like her heartfelt rendition of ‘Live to Tell’ – which was a tribute to her friend, Martin Burgoyne, and the countless LGBTQIA+ individuals who lost their lives during the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis.
Over the last week, Madge has received universal praise for her heartbreaking tribute from fans and her industry peers, including fellow pop icon Elton John.
In a joint post on Instagram, the ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer and his nonprofit organisation – the Elton John AIDS Foundation – uploaded a photo from her ‘Live to Tell’ performance alongside a heartfelt caption.
“We’re deeply moved by the heartfelt tribute from @madonna during her Celebration Tour performance of ‘Live to Tell’, honouring the 40.4 million people we’ve lost to AIDS,” he wrote.
“Thank you, Madonna, for your advocacy and compassion, and for raising important awareness of the ongoing mission to end AIDS. With 39 million people living with HIV today, 9.4 million of whom are not currently on life-saving treatment, we must keep using our voices and platforms to ensure everyone has the opportunity to live full and healthy lives.”
Shortly after uploading his post, fans took to the comment section to celebrate the two artists.
One fan wrote: “Two of the most important artists of our time.”
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Another person commented: “Thank you @madonna, thank you @eltonjohn & thank you @davidfurnish for changing the world.”
Some fans also lauded John for essentially ending his longstanding feud with Madge, which has been on and off for years.
“Nice to see goodwill between artists who come together for such an important cause to raise awareness,” one of his Instagram followers wrote.
Another commenter added: “You and her, despite your occasional feuds, are true champions of our community. Doing nothing but fighting for our right to exist and our right to live. We commend you both for paving the way for others to do the same as you both have done.”
As previously mentioned, John and Madonna haven’t always had the smoothest of friendships.
Dating back to the early 2000s, the feud between the music icons has been full of lip-syncing allegations, song critiques and an unforgettable showdown at the 2012 Golden Globes, which saw them compete against each other in the Best Original Song category.
While their bond has been far from perfect, John revealed to Extra TV in 2013 that the two made up after a random encounter at a French restaurant.
“She came in, and I sent over a note. She was very gracious. I apologised profusely because what I said should never appeared in public,” he explained. “She accepted our apology, and then we bought her dinner. That’s over and done with.”
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