Emotional second Sir Elton John calls husband David Furnish his ‘rock’ as he reveals he ‘cannot see’ The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical however ‘loves to listen to it’ after opening up about eyesight loss

Sir Elton John paid an emotional tribute to his husband David Furnish at last night’s The Devil Wears Prada musical launch in London as he opened up about his sight loss.

The iconic singer, 77, who wrote the shows music, gave a speech at the end of the performance on Sunday where he spoke about not being able to see the show. 

Sir Elton thanked David for being his ‘rock’ throughout preparations for the official opening of the show on Sunday, and shared: ‘It’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it.’

He recently admitted he has not been able to see out of his right eye for months, and his left eye ‘is not the greatest’, following a severe infection.

Speaking at The Dominion Theatre, Sir Elton said in a clip shared with MailOnline: ‘And to my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come many of the previews because as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight. 

‘So it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it – and boy it sounded good tonight. Thank you for coming.’

Sir Elton looked trim in a black tailored suit and red shirt for the musical’s launch night.

He also wore sparkly red trainers and statement red glasses as he cosied up to a number of famous faces, including pal and fashion designer Donatella Versace and Vanessa Williams, 61, who plays the role of fashion editor, Miranda Priestly.

Also in attendance was American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who fans have long assumed the character of Miranda Priestly was based on.

Sir Elton’s husband David was also by his side for support. The pair entered a civil partnership in 2005, then officially tied the knot nine years later when same-sex marriage became legal in the UK. They have two sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11.

The musical features an original score by Sir Elton, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and book by Kate Wetherhead.

Reflecting on why he decided to write the musical’s score, the musician told RadioTimes.com: ‘The film is a classic and it’s aged brilliantly and fashion and music go together so well, so there were so many scenes in the film that were crying out for music. It was a no brainer for me.

‘It’s fantastic to be able to write for this kind of musical because it’s not Shakespeare, it’s absolutely so much fun.

‘It’s got fantastic costumes, an incredible cast, and brilliant choreography.’

Sir Elton gave an update on his health recently, after being left with limited vision in one eye following a severe eye infection.

The music legend revealed he lost eyesight in his right eye in the summer in France and as a result can’t see, read or watch anything.

Speaking to ABC News about his new documentary Never Too Late, Elton admitted he wasn’t sure about his ability to record any new music, as he puts all his focus on his health.

He said: ‘It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France.

‘It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment.

‘Because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start. 

‘We’re taking an initiative to try and get it better, but at the moment that’s really what we’re concentrating on.’

 The acclaimed singer-songwriter candidly went on: ‘It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen. And it kind of floored me and I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.’

However, showing his inherent positive attitude, Elton voiced his gratitude for his life, saying: ‘I’m so lucky, I’m the luckiest man in the world. 

‘I’m so proud of the documentary, I’m proud of my sons, I’m proud of my attitude towards myself and what’s going on. I’m just very lucky and very grateful.’

As well as his current sight issues, Elton has faced a multitude of other health issues, after he had both knees replaced as well his right hip following a fall, which forced him to delay his farewell tour in 2021.

The Rocket Man hitmaker, who played his final shows last summer at Glastonbury, revealed his eyesight issues in September.

He took to his Instagram with a lengthy post, explaining how he spent the past few months ‘recuperating at home.’

Elton wrote: ‘Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. 

‘I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.

‘I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks.’

Elton concluded: ‘I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.’

It comes after the EGOT winner admitted ‘I don’t know how much time I have left’ as he opened up about death in his new documentary last month.

In a scene from Never Too Late, Elton pondered his own mortality as he confessed he often thinks about life and death. 

The Mirror revealed one scene from the film sees the musician sitting in the dressing room on his final tour and looking at his possession.

He then admits: ‘I wonder what is going to happen to all of this stuff when I finish? This is the latter time of my life. I don’t know how much time I have left.

‘You think about that more when you get to my age. You think about life and death. You think, ‘Well, I just want to be where I want to be now’.’

He added: ‘I don’t have to work after this. I will work and do records and putting radio shows together but travelling takes so much out of you.

‘It is very tiring. I am used to it. I am a veteran at it but this is where you start to think about mortality.’ 

Elton’s new Disney+ documentary and musical is a look back at his astonishing life in the early days of his fifty-year long career. 

The film features never-before-seen footage including a look into his handwritten diaries, the audio tapes from the landmark Rolling Stone interview and John Lennon joining him on stage for three songs after his Thanksgiving 1974 Madison Square Garden show. 

In the lead up to his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium in November 2022, Elton takes viewers back in time and recounts the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction. 

At a New York screening of the documentary last month, he joked: ‘To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left.

‘I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee.

‘In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough], you’re the people that made me.’ 

The film was directed by R. J. Cutler and Elton’s husband David Furnish, being released in theatres this month, before it drops on Disney+ on December 13.

Elton and David, 62, share sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, together. Speaking about his boys, Elton admitted: ‘They worry as they know how old I am. Not so much David but me.

‘They love their Daddy so they want me to be around forever. I want to be around forever. I want to see them have children, get married but I don’t think I am going to be around for that. Who knows? You never know.

‘So that is why I want to make the best of my time while I am around. Our time together is so wonderful and so precious.’