Sir Elton John left fans very concerned after he shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Friday. While at first glance, it appeared the music legend had genuinely been admitted, upon closer inspection - bedazzled casts being a major giveaway - the 78-year-old singer was just on the set with Spinal Tap. Elton features in their new film Spinal Tap II, which was released alongside their new album, where the singer features on songs, Listen To The Flower People and Stonehenge.
"Rocked too hard… ended up in a cast! Backstage with Spinal Tap. The new film, Spinal Tap II, and album are out today, featuring me on ‘Listen To The Flower People’ and ‘Stonehenge’. Thanks for having me be a part of it," Elton wrote on Instagram alongside the alarming photos.
"YOU SCARED ME," replied popstar Charlie Puth. One fan wrote: "I'm at the airport and my heart sank so quickly JESUS." Meanwhile, a third penned: "ELTON DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT."
Directed by Rob Reiner, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues comes 41 years after This Is Spinal Tap redefined the mockumentary genre with its behind-the-scenes look at the antics of a fictional British rock group. The project produced by Bleecker Street - the company responsible for delivering This Is Spinal Tap - will feature cameo appearances from several legends including: Sir Elton, Sir Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. It will follow the ageing Spinal Tap stars as they perform one last time after reuniting following a 15-year hiatus.
Major milestone
The new film came just weeks after the singer shared how grateful he was to receive "all the love" on the 35th anniversary of his sobriety journey. Marking the incredible milestone, the Tiny Dancer hitmaker shared a photograph of cards he had received from his friends and family for his '35th birthday', marking the anniversary of his sobriety journey. He penned in the brief, but heartfelt, caption: "Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday [praying emoji] [heart emoji]".
Elton has been incredibly open about his issues with addiction. During an appearance on The Today Show, he said: "I wasted such a big part of my life when this epidemic was beginning to happen in the early 1980s. And I was a drug addict and self-absorbed."He continued: "You know, I was having people die right, left and centre around me, friends. And yet, I didn't stop the life that I had, which is the terrible thing about addiction. It's that bad of a disease.
"I was consumed by cocaine, booze, and who knows what else. I apparently never got the memo that the Me generation had ended." He went on to speak about feeling fortunate for managing to get through the period: "You know what? When you take a drug and you take a drink and you mix those two together, you think you're invincible. I came out of this HIV-negative. I was the luckiest man in the world."