Photos: Elton John's Estranged Mother Hires his Lookalike for her 90th Birthday

Sheila poses with Elton's lookalike Paul Bacon

English singer, Sir Elton John and his mother Sheila Farebrother have not been on speaking terms for the past 8 years after they had a cataclysmic falling out. So when Sheila celebrated her 90th birthday days ago at a converted barn venue in West Sussex and wanted to hear the music she knows and loves so much, she did the next best thing she could - hire her superstar son's lookalike to sing at her party.

To an outsider, it may seem unbelievable that Elton would no longer want to see his elderly mother. He is still believed to support her financially and it has been reported that he sent her flowers for her
birthday. So, what happened?

In an interview in April 2011, Mrs Farebrother told a newspaper:

‘It happened three years ago this June (2008). He has had nothing to do with me since then. I don’t want to go into what caused it. It is a painful subject. My son cut me out of his life for good.’

The newspaper reported that it had been suggested that Sheila made a remark that offended Sir Elton’s civil partner, David Furnish, now his husband, and that David ‘went ballistic’.

Real Elton pictured with his mum in 1998

Elton with husband David and their kids

Mrs Farebrother’s hiring of a lookalike to sing at her milestone birthday party has been commended as showing that she has a lively sense of humour. And a certain toughness, too, given that she can find something to laugh about in such a situation.

She chose the playlist herself for the hour-long set — 16 of Elton’s greatest hits, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle In The Wind, Your Song and I’m Still Standing and was up on the dance floor for most of it.

The last song was the 1976 No 1 hit Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, in which the phoney Elton performed a duet with the real Kiki Dee, one of the celebrity guests — along with former newsreader, Angela Rippon — who was present.