Elton John and Molly Meldrum meet in private to mend their fractured friendship
Seven years after their longstanding friendship was famously fractured, Sir Elton John and Molly Meldrum have mended fences with a private meeting before the rock legend’s Rod Laver Arena show on Saturday. Here’s what went down.
Confidential
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Sir Elton John and Molly Meldrum patched up their fractured friendship in a private meeting before the rock legend’s show at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night.
“It was just Elton and I, talking about the old days and our wonderful friendship,” Meldrum told Confidential today.
“It was lovely.”
Sir Elton arranged the backstage meeting to bury the hatchet on a seven-year rift sparked by Channel 7’s Sunday Night program, airing off-the-record comments made during an interview with Meldrum.
“We had a great conversation,” Meldrum said.
“We talked about when we first met, all the things we’ve been through, and how important our friendship is. He knew the interview thing was not my fault.”
Hours later, while on stage Sir Elton paid a heartfelt tribute to Molly.
“We’ve had tears, we’ve had laughter, but we’ve had a friendship that’s lasted so long,” Sir Elton told the crowd.
“I don’t think anyone has done more for music in Australia than Molly Meldrum.
“Molly, I love you, I thank you dearly for everything you’ve done for me. Bless you.”
Meldrum, a guest at Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road show, acknowledged his superstar friend with a wave and a kiss.
“I’m very shy about things like this. When I heard Elton’s comments, I almost fell off my chair. It was unbelievable,” Meldrum said on Sunday.
“I always try to hide when people do things like that. I hate being the centre of attention, but I was very humbled.”
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Molly’s 2012 interview with Elton for Sunday Night included what they believed to be off-the-record banter, in which the Rocket Man superstar bagged Madonna as a “fairground stripper” and a “nightmare.”
The fall out was immediate and long-lasting. Elton refused to speak to Molly during his 2015 tour, but that didn’t stop Meldrum from desperately trying to fix the relationship.
“We’ve had the most amazing journey for a long, long time. We’ve both through the ups and we’ve been through the downs,” Molly told Channel 7’s Sunday Night earlier this year.
“(But) a friendship like ours is worth keeping forever.”
In his 2016 book, Ah Well, Nobody’s Perfect, Molly said Elton’s candid remarks were “clearly a chat between two old friends and not intended for public broadcast.
“Elton still thinks it was all my fault, and refused to talk to me when he toured Australia in 2015,” Molly wrote.
“I’m tempted to quote a line from one of my favourite movies: ‘Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.’ But the truth is, I do give a damn. I love Elton.”
Sir John plays his fourth and final show at Rod Laver Arena tonight, Hanging Rock on January 25 and 26, All Saints Estate, Rutherglen on January 29, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, on January 31 and February 1, and AAMI Park on February 22.
Final release tickets are on sale for most of the shows.