Inside Elton John's Friendship With Lady Gaga

Elton John, per Britannica, was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Middlesex in England in March of 1947. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, was born in New York almost four decades later in 1986 (per Biography). The two might be distant in both age and birthplace, but both went on to develop very similar traits that would see them become friends.

Needless to say, both chose stage names that would all but entirely erase their pre-fame monikers, both have courted their share of controversy, and are defined by their unique and outrageous fashion sense. It was almost inevitable that these two pop legends would hit it off from the moment they first shared a stage.

According to Billboard, the January 2010 Grammys marked their first performance together. In typically theatrical fashion, John and his piano appeared from a fiery pit beneath the stage and the pair sang the iconic "Your Song" and Gaga's "Speechless." This was followed by a number of other collaborations over the years, including a memorable performance on "Lady Gaga & The Muppets' Holiday Spectacular" for Thanksgiving 2013. On this occasion, Billboard went on, the pair sang "Artpop" and "Gaga and the Jets," a specially-adapted version of another Elton John classic.

Performing together is a delight for both fabulous artists, as they discussed on an episode of Apple Music's GAGA Radio in August of 2020. UDiscoverMusic reports that Elton John joined in on this episode, and it was nothing but mutual adoration between them. Lady Gaga reportedly stated that John seems to always call her at exactly the right time, knowing when she's feeling low. "I know you inside out," the "Rocketman" hitmaker agreed. Gaga lovingly refers to him as "Daddy E."

Hosting "Saturday Night Live" in October 2013 (via Saturday Night Live on YouTube), John proudly shared the news that he and partner David Furnish had become parents to son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, stating that he'll be "a normal father." His famous parents aside, though, Zachary's life will certainly be touched by celebrity: "His godmother is Lady Gaga. That's true, that is not a joke," John revealed in his monologue.

When John and Furnish's second son, Elijah, came along, Gaga became his godmother too. Extra asked why, in April 2013 (via Extratv on YouTube), and John explained, "I admire everything about her. She's been a great godmother so far to Zachary," before launching into an anecdote about Gaga bathing Zachary once in Las Vegas, dressed to go to a performance, singing and reading to the boy to put him to sleep. Now that's friendship.