Uncaring dad inspired Elton John to succeed in life

LONDON - Elton John says being angry about his relationship with his father is what led him to his fame as a musician.

The openly homosexual pop star wishes his father, Stanley, had been “more loving”, but believes his negative feelings towards him gave him the drive to pursue his song writing career, reports mirror.co.uk.

“I blamed a lot of my lack of self-esteem on him, my problems with weight, my glasses - all these things which are so rooted in your childhood and never go away. I always wanted my dad to hug me and tell me he loved me. He didn’t but he loved me in his own way. I now think that maybe my relationship with my dad, which I spent so many years being angry about, is the thing that actually made me successful,” he said.

“I never wanted to be this big performer, this Elton John, but something inside me gave me the courage to answer an ad in the New Musical Express and it started from there. I do think wanting to prove myself to my father had everything to do with that,” he added.