Elton John was presented with an enormous birthday cake by his two sons as he celebrated his 73rd birthday in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The singer shared an adorable video to Instagram of the moment he was given the cake by his sons Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven, in a more subdued celebration than is customary for Elton.
The quiet family gathering at home marks a change for the hitmaker who has thrown lavish birthdays in the past, with stars including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Stevie Wonder attended his 70th birthday in LA.
Adorable: Elton John was presented with an enormous birthday cake by his sons Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven, as he celebrated his 73rd birthday
Alongside the heartwarming video, Elton wrote: ‘Grateful for the best birthday ever with my family.’
In the clip, the singer was dressed in a blue and green tracksuit and his trademark red glasses as his boys stood in front of him.
The three-tiered cake featured white icing and raspberry trimmings with ‘Happy Birthday Daddy’ written across the top.
Several of the singer’s celebrity pals sent their well wishes to the star with Niall Horan commenting: ‘Happy Birthday Elton ❤️’.
Wow: The singer shared an adorable video to Instagram of the moment he was given the cake as he celebrates his birthday in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic
Heartwarming: In the clip, Elton was dressed in a blue and green tracksuit and his trademark red glasses as Zachary and Elijah stood in front of him
DJ Fat Tony wrote: ‘Love this so much ❤️ x’ while singer Charlie Puth added: ‘Happy Birthday EJ!’
Zachary and Elijah, who Elton shares with husband David Furnish, also gifted their father with adorable handmade cards for his special day.
Posting a snap of the boys’ colourful artwork spelling out ‘Happy Birthday’ which had been pinned up on the patio door, Elton wrote: ‘So nice to wake up to this! Thank you Zachary and Elijah.’
Two more photos showed vibrant watercolour cards, which the singing legend captioned: ‘Homemade cards are the best. Thank you boys!’
Special moment: Alongside the heartwarming video, Elton wrote: ‘Grateful for the best birthday ever with my family’
Well wishes: Several of Elton’s celebrity pals sent happy birthday messages to the star
The star was inundated with well-wishes from friends and fans, with BFF Victoria Beckham, 45, sharing a sweet tribute and photo of the pair on a yacht enjoying a drink.
She wrote: ‘Happy birthday, we love you so much.’
The photos comes after Elton revealed he’s relishing spending quality time with his young family as citizens are advised to isolate at home in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus.
Cute: Elton shared a snap of the boys’ colourful artwork spelling out ‘Happy Birthday’ which had been pinned up on the patio door. He wrote: ‘So nice to wake up to this! Thank you Zachary and Elijah
Special: Two more photos showed vibrant watercolour cards, which the singing legend captioned: ‘Homemade cards are the best. Thank you boys!’
In a new interview, the Rocketman hitmaker told how he was ‘loving every second’ of spending 24/7 with his boys as he also discussed the importance of music and staying positive during this difficult time.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, he said: ‘This is the time where people are going to spend more time with their families than they’ve ever done before. And so far, again, check with me in two weeks.
‘I’m enjoying it so much because I don’t spend that much time with my family during the day and I’m loving every second of it. So cherish it while you can. Every cloud has a silver lining.’
Discussing how the family have kept themselves busy while isolating at home in the UK, he went on to reveal that board games are they key.
‘We’re playing every day, at 5:30 we play Snakes and Ladders, which in America is called Chutes and Ladders, and it’s become a family routine now and it’s fantastic.
Family comes first: In a new interview, the Rocketman hitmaker told how he was ‘loving every second’ of spending 24/7 with his boys as he also discussed the importance of music and staying positive during this difficult time
‘To be honest with you, it’s great to be able to spend this much time with my boys because normally I don’t, even though they’ve been on the road with us since November in Australia and New Zealand.
‘It’s, this is 24/7 with them and it’s fantastic. I mean I’m saying that after a week, check on me in about three weeks.’
He went on to reflect on how the pandemic could bring people together and help them to think about the important things in life.
‘Maybe this will bring people together and be far more thoughtful about each other in a world where we’re so selfish, me included,’ he said.
‘And it gives us time to reflect on what life’s all about. And life is about love and sharing and generosity of spirit and coming together as one I hope will be the result of this.’
Amid the crisis gripping the world, Elton is one of many artist having to cancel tour dates, having recently announced the postponement of his Farewell shows.
And Elton noted that despite him not taking to the stage any time soon, the importance of music is vital now more than ever in bringing people together.
He explained: ‘I’m afraid that the tours aren’t going to happen until after the summer probably. I don’t think realistically speaking that we, artists, can expect to go back on the road. And so people are going to take solace in music.’
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, he said: ‘This is the time where people are going to spend more time with their families than they’ve ever done before’