Elton John is retiring from the road after his upcoming three-year global tour, capping nearly 50 years on stages around the world. He calls it a B次元官网网址渨ay to go out with a bang.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e had a good run, I think youB次元官网网址檇 admit that,B次元官网网址� John said Wednesday, adding that he wanted to B次元官网网址渓eave people thinking, B次元官网网址業 saw the last tour and it was fantastic.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

The 70-year-old singer, pianist and composer said he wanted to spend time with his family. His children will be 10 and 8 when he stops in 2021, and John said he hoped he might be able to take them to soccer practice. B次元官网网址淢y priorities now are my children and my husband and my family,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his is the end.B次元官网网址�

John made the announcement at an event in New York in which he sat at a piano and performed B次元官网网址淭iny DancerB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 Still Standing.B次元官网网址� He wore his signature glasses and a colorful suit jacket that read B次元官网网址淕ucci Loves Elton.B次元官网网址�

His final tour B次元官网网址� dubbed B次元官网网址淔arewell Yellow Brick RoadB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� starts in September. It will consist of 300 shows in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Asia. Tickets go on sale beginning Feb. 2. The tour stops in Toronto on Sept. 25 and 26, Ottawa on Sept. 28, Quebec City on Sept. 29 and Montreal on Oct. 4.

John said he decided on his retirement plans in 2015 in France. B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 physically do the travelling and I donB次元官网网址檛 want to,B次元官网网址� he said. He also ruled out a residency but vowed: B次元官网网址淚 will be creative up until the day I die.B次元官网网址�

At the Grammy Awards, to be presented in New York on Sunday, John is to perform alongside Miley Cyrus and will collect the PresidentB次元官网网址檚 Merit Award. His Vegas residency ends in May after six years.

His hits include B次元官网网址淵our SongB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淐andle in the Wind.B次元官网网址� He has won five Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe for B次元官网网址淭he Lion KingB次元官网网址� and a Tony Award for B次元官网网址淎ida.B次元官网网址� He is the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.

John, who has sold 300 million records, launched his first tour in 1970 and boasts having performed over 4,000 times in more than 80 countries. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

He has suffered several medical setbacks of late, including a bacterial infection last year that he contracted during a South American tour and an E. coli bacterial infection in 2009. HeB次元官网网址檚 also suffered an appendicitis and has been fitted with a pacemaker.

From 1970-76, John released 10 original studio albums and seven consecutive chart toppers. He remained a hit maker over the following four decades, from B次元官网网址淭he Lion KingB次元官网网址� soundtrack song B次元官网网址淐an You Feel the Love TonightB次元官网网址� to a revision of his Marilyn Monroe ode B次元官网网址淐andle in the Wind,B次元官网网址� released in 1997 after the death of JohnB次元官网网址檚 friend Princess Diana and one of the bestselling singles of all time.

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Online:

Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press

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