Elton John Sings at Princess Dianas Funeral

Elton John Sings for Princess Diana's Funeral

Princess Diana of Wales was killed in a car crash on August 31, 1997. Elton John, who had been a very close friend of Diana's and her family, went into shock and mourning. One month before that they had a close friend pass away, Gianni Versace. Following the death of Princess Diana, Elton John did a remake of "Candle in the Wind" as a tribute to Diana. This version of the song, had new lyrics and was released as a single and sold many copies throughout the world, peaking at number one in almost every country.

Elton John and Princess Diana had been friends since 1981. He had performed at Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle. Elton John had been a friend of the Royal Family since 1970s. He had gone with Princess Margaret to many art events and participated in Prince Charles's concerts for youth charities. He performed at private royal events. He was also a friend of Sarah Ferguson, and he and former wife Renate were seated in the front row for the wedding of Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

Following news of Diana's death, Elton John went into a deep depression. Diana had been by his side in July at the recent funeral of their friend Gianni Versace. He decided that he wanted to pay a tribute to Diana at her funeral and contacted his long-standing writing partner Bernie Taupin. Due to time limits before the scheduled funeral, the song composers decided to re-write the lyrics to the song, "Candle in the Wind" a 1973 song originally written as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. They changed the first line from "Goodbye Norma Jean" to "Goodbye England's Rose." After the funeral, Elton released the version dedicated to Princess Diana as "Candle in the Wind '97." Within a month, it became a #1 UK hit and the biggest selling single ever, and the proceeds went to charity.

Elton John performed the new version of Candle in the Wind - Goodbye England's Rose at the funeral for Princess Diana in Westminster Abbey. Elton John through Bernie Taupin's new lyrics was able to express the grief that the world was experiencing. This was the first and only time that he sang this version of the song. Elton has turned down requests to perform the song live and would only play the song again if requested by Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Since this one-time performance, in subsequent concerts Elton John has only played the original version of "Candle in the Wind" from 1973.

The Funeral included a mixture of traditional and modern music. An estimated 2.5 billion watched the funeral on television, that's about half the people on earth. Over a million in person watched the procession of the funeral cortege, or the journey to her private burial. Never was it so still in London, planes were only