Veteran pop star Sir Elton John is "gradually" winding down his music career and wants to say goodbye to fans with a farewell tour.
The 'Rocket Man' began his career in the early 1960s and became a global superstar in the '70s, but rumours have swirled about an impending retirement ever since he started a family with husband David Furnish in 2010.
The couple has two sons born to a surrogate -- Zachary, five, and two-year-old Elijah -- and Sir Elton has now confirmed he is making plans to scale down his career to spend more time with the boys as they grow up.
In an interview with UK chat show host Graham Norton, he says, "I'm gradually going to wind down because I want to see my boys grow up. What's the point of having children if you don't spend time with them? At the moment I see a lot of them but I don't see enough of them so we're getting to the point, over the next few years, when we'll be winding down.
"I've had so many years on the road and so many concerts but the most important thing in our life are our children and I don't want to leave them behind and it's not as if I am mid-career - I'm like the Gracie Fields of rock!"
Asked if he is "gearing up" for a final tour, the singer responds, "I'm gearing down but I'm not stopping yet. I'm not quite old enough, but there will be a time when that will happen."
During the chat, which is due to air in the UK on Friday (local time), Sir Elton also gushed about his boys and his love of family life since settling down with David.
"I do the school run, of course I do, and then on Saturdays we go to Pizza Hut and then to Waterstones to buy books," he says. "It's all very normal... They are so beautiful and so funny and I don't want to miss it. I would hate to do that and I want to be there for them. You can have any hit record you want, any great tour, and any great success but it doesn't compare to one second with your kids."
WENN
