Elton John has announced that he will retire from touring after his upcoming 300-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour, which he says could take up to three years to complete and will include a show in Dublin's 3Arena on June 12, 2019.
Speaking in New York on Wednesday, the 70-year-old singer said that he plans to stop performing in concert because he wishes to commit his life to his husband, David Furnish, and their children, Zachary (7) and four-year-old Elijah.
Speaking to CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper at a special live announcement, John said: "My priorities have changed. We had children and that changed our lives and in 2015 we sat down with a school schedule and I thought I don't want to miss too much of this.
"My life has changed, my priorities have changed and my priority now is my family."
He added his upcoming tour was a chance "to say thank you to all my fans around he world and then to say goodbye. It doesn't mean I'm not going to be creative any more.
"It will take three years probably. I've been working constantly, I've been on the road ever since I made it in 1970. I have had a good run ... I want to go out with a bang."
However, John, who has sold 300m albums, says he has no plans to stop making music but added that he will be mostly taking "my kid to soccer academy."
"I'm not one of those people who says I'm retiring and then does loads more shows. I'm not Cher, although I do like wearing her clothes." he added. "After this tour, that's it."
John has toured for almost 50 years and he says the upcoming Farewell Yellow Brick Road global jaunt, which begins in September, will visit every country where he has fans.
He teased a new chapter in his life on his Twitter page on Wednesday, tweeting that fans will "finally see where the future lies".
You'll finally see where the future lies...
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) January 23, 2018
Watch the #EltonEvent special announcement live tomorrow - 9.30 PT / 12.30 ET / 17.30 GMT on https://t.co/fEQsOiAsbm. pic.twitter.com/UstEL9Hu4k
John has been a frequent visitor to Ireland over the years having played 22 concerts here, with his first being at the National Stadium in Dublin in 1979. He last played here as part of the Live At The Marquee in Cork gigs in June last year.
The news comes less than a year after the Tiny Dancer star was forced to cancel nine shows in Las Vegas and California when he contracted a "potentially deadly" bacterial infection.
He became "violently ill" during a flight home from Santiago, Chile, and was admitted to hospital where he spent two nights in intensive care.
Following his return home, he had to cancel the May and April dates in his Las Vegas residency.
John's retirement news follows Neil Diamond's announcement that he will no longer tour due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
