Elton John and his Canadian husband David Furnish have been left “bereft” following the postponement of tour dates due to COVID-19, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The British tabloid claims that scrapping 43 shows on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour cost John and Furnish $102 million, forcing them to lay off his band and cut staff at his mansion in Atlanta.
“They had anticipated the cash would see him into his retirement,” the Mail reported.
The 73-year-old singer has 48 shows scheduled between Sept. 5 and Dec. 17 in Europe, the UK and Ireland – but those are likely to get postponed.
John already bumped concerts set for March 26 to July 8 – including two each in Toronto and Montreal – to next year, extending a tour that was due to end in February.
The Mail claimed John is “unlikely to receive any insurance payout for the losses” and “is now thought to be assessing if he will need to make further savings and, if so, where.”
There are good reasons to be skeptical of the Mail’s reporting. When John postponed his concerts to 2021, fans were encouraged to hold on to their tickets. The singer is also estimated to be worth more than $600 million.