Elton John Engaged

Rocket Man announces plans to wed longtime lover David Furnish after gay unions become legal in U.K.

By Sarah Hall Apr 25, 2005 6:40 PMTags

The Rocket Man is ready to become the marrying man.

Elton John and longtime partner David Furnish plan to wed in a civil ceremony in England after gay civil partnerships become legal on Dec. 5, a spokesman for the singer said Monday.

The pair, who have been together for 11 years, want to marry in mid-December, "probably in Windsor," John told London's Daily Mirror.

Spokesman Gary Farrow was more cautious with revealing details of when the ceremony may take place.

"A date and venue has not been set, so it may not be until next year," Farrow said.

Whenever the nuptials take place, Furnish, a filmmaker and socialite, won't be getting much from his hubby in the way of celebration.

"There will be no honeymoon. I'm on tour," John told the Mirror.

(It sounds like the bitch is back and here to stay.)

However, the groom-to-be wasn't entirely without kind words for his intended.

"Meeting David has been the greatest thing to happen to me," he told the Mirror. "Yes, we spend a lot of time apart and it's hard, but we make it work.

"We phone each other five or six times a day, and we still send each other a card from wherever we are."

The flamboyant singer credits Furnish with helping him to kick the drug and alcohol addictions that almost killed him.

Apparently, being John's other half is rarely boring--Furnish chronicled his life with his often dramatic lover in a 1995 documentary titled Tantrums & Tiaras.

According to Farrow, one of the couple's primary reasons for formalizing their union is so they will be able to enjoy financial benefits such as tax breaks awarded to married couples.

Just last month, British tabloids published rumors that John and Furnish were splitting up due to their long absences from each other, prompting Furnish to release a statement that the couple had "never been happier."

The "Candle in the Wind" singer is in the midst of working off a multimillion-dollar three-year agreement to perform 75 shows at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, as well as touring the U.S., Europe and Canada in support of his most recent album, Peachtree Road.

John is also writing songs with the Scissor Sisters and preparing to launch two musicals: the live version of Billy Elliot, which debuts May 12 at London's Victoria Palace Theater, and the bloodsucking endeavor Vampire Lestat.

The civil ceremony with Furnish will mark the second time John has swapped vows with a significant other; he was previously married to German music engineer Renate Blauel in 1984. The couple divorced four years later.