This photo taken from Elton John’s official Facebook account shows his commemorative coins issued by Britain’s Royal Mint.
LONDON - Legendary gay singer Elton John, who has sold 300 million records and raised almost half a billion dollars in the fight against HIV/AIDS, marked a new milestone on Monday: his own commemorative coin issued by Britain’s Royal Mint.
The coin is the second in the Royal Mint’s Music Legend series celebrating British bands and singers.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has donated some US$450 million to projects since it was founded in 1992, foundation officials said
John, 73, who was knighted for services to music and charity in 1998, features on a series of coins of different values depicting his iconic glasses and straw boater in a design by artist Bradley Morgan Johnson.
“It really is a fabulous honor to be recognized in this way,” John, whose first number one in the United States was “Crocodile Rock” in 1973, said in a statement on Monday.
ALSO READ: Elton John 'deeply upset' after cutting short NZ concert
“The last few years have contained some of the most memorable moments of my career, and this is another truly humbling milestone on my journey.”
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has donated some US$450 million to projects since it was founded in 1992, foundation officials said.
In this June 29, 2019 file photo, British singer-songwriter Elton John performs his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour on Saturday during the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP)
“Elton is without a doubt a British music legend and is recognised as one of the most successful singer-songwriters of his generation,” said Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin and The Royal Mint Experience.
This photo taken from Elton John’s official Facebook account shows his own commemorative coin issued by Britain’s Royal Mint.
The Mint’s first coin in the music series, issued in January, was in honor of the band Queen, led by another gay musician, Freddie Mercury, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991.
