Elton John and David Furnish are so ingrained as a couple in the public's mind many people forget this is actually his second marriage. The pair have been together for over 30 years having first met in 1993 at a dinner party. They entered a civil partnership in 2005 and married in 2014 and share two sons Zachary Jackson Furnish-John and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John.
However three decades years before he pledged his troth to David, on Valentine's day 1984, he tied the knot with German recording engineer Renate Blauel in a romantic wedding ceremony. The marriage followed a whirwind and the couple only knew each other a year and a half when Elton proposed over curry at an Indian restaurant in Sydney where he was on the Australian leg of his Too Low for Zero tour. Eschewing a big build up they said "I do" just a week later in St. Mark's Church in the area of Darling Point in Sydney.
“I simply want to be a family man,” Elton said at the time. “And I’m not getting any younger.” In a bizarre turn of events the best man was Elton's manager manager John Reid with whom he previously had a tumultous five-year romance.For her part Renate was clearly head over heels with the music icon. “He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met,” she told United Press International. "I’ve heard all sorts of stories about Elton and that he’s supposed to be bisexual, but that doesn't worry me.”
In 1976 Elton had revealed he was bisexual in an interview with Rolling Stone. But he had stressed: “I’d rather fall in love with a woman eventually because I think a woman probably lasts much longer than a man.” His theory was proven wrong as the marriage only lasted four years and they divorced in 1988. He came out as gay shortly afterwards.
Over the years the Candle In the Wind singer has rarely spoken about the union. However bin 2017 he referred to it when urging Australians to vote in favour of same-sex marriage.
"Many years ago, I chose Australia for my wedding to a wonderful woman for whom I have so much love and admiration. I wanted more than anything to be a good husband, but I denied who I really was, which caused my wife sadness, and caused me huge guilt and regret," he penned on Instagram.
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He referenced the union again in his 2019 autobioraphy Me and it also briefly featured in his 2020 biopic Rocketman. This proved too much for Renate who had never publicly spoken about the relationship and had stayed out of the public eye for decades and in June 2020 she launched a £3million legal action against the legendary singer.
According to reports she claimed the comments about her in Me, while positive, broke the non-disclosure agreement he signed after their divorce. Allegedly, the passages in the book “triggered long-standing” mental issues for the 67-year-old German.
They settled the case in October 2020 and spokesperson said: "The parties are happy to announce that they have resolved this case, in a way that acknowledges Renate’s need for privacy.
"For her part, Renate acknowledges that Elton has acted in a dignified and respectful way towards her in the last 30 years and has been always happy to help her. They will not be discussing each other, or their marriage, in future and will be making no further comment about the case."
