When legendary performer Elton John added an Emmy to his collection of career honors on Monday, he became one of the few people to have won the awards grand slam, or “EGOT.”
At the Los Angeles Emmys, the British singer-songwriter’s “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium” won Outstanding Variety Special (Live), making him just the 19th individual in history to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony.
Producer Ben Winston took the stage in lieu of the 76-year-old John, who is recuperating from a knee surgery.
“We did know this was going to be historic because it was going to be Elton’s last ever show in North America,” Winston said.
“We didn’t know it was going to be historic because it was going to win a man who has created the soundtrack to all of our lives, who has done so much great for society, who is all of our heroes — we didn’t know that it was going to win him an EGOT.”
The performance at the iconic Dodger Stadium in the middle of Los Angeles marked the end of John’s farewell tour across North America. The multi-year project, according to Billboard magazine, brought in close to $1 billion in revenue.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from “The Lion King” and “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” are two of Elton’s two Oscars for best original song.
He won five Grammys, including one in 1998 for “Candle in the Wind,” and a Tony Award for writing the original score for “Aida.”
Only 18 others have won the EGOT sweep, including Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Viola Davis.