Sir Elton John will celebrate his 70th birthday with a star-studded charity gala hosted by Hollywood actor Rob Lowe.
The Rocket Man singer will also be marking a 50-year writing partnership with his friend and long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin at the party, which is to be held in Los Angeles.
The event, which will also raise funds for the Elton John Aids Foundation and Los-Angeles based art and culture centre the Hammer Museum, will also feature a special performance by American singer Lady Gaga.
Talking about reaching the milestone, Sir Elton said he thinks “age is immaterial, provided we keep our minds alive by being open to new things”.
He said: “I can be as excited by a new artist who plays me their demo as I am by a new record of one of my musical heroes.
“I can be excited by playing a new city I’ve never played before, or revisiting somewhere I know well and seeing how it’s changed.
“Life is a constant state of flux for us all, and I like to embrace that.
“I also feel very happy to use my position to bring attention to injustice in the world, and to try to help where I can. At this time in my life I’m the happiest I have ever been.”
Taupin said: ”It’s been an unconventional partnership and while we pretty much patented the two-rooms technique I’d venture to say you’d be hard pressed to find a couple of songwriters more in sync with each other and their craft.”
Sir Elton said his working partnership with Taupin still had the “same excitement now as when we first started”.
“That this year marks the 50th anniversary of my partnership with Bernie Taupin is mind-boggling for me because it seems like only yesterday that I met him,” he said.
“It’s an amazing achievement to stay with one person for 50 years on a creative basis, in an industry where that doesn’t really happen very much.”
His many hits include songs such as Your Song, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Daniel and I’m Still Standing.
He also reworked another of his hits, Candle In The Wind, which he performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was a close friend and fan.
In December 2014 Sir Elton married David Furnish, nine years after they tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony.
The famous couple have two sons called Zachary and Elijah and Sir Elton is godparent to the children of many high profile celebrities.
