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Elton John Says He Was ‘Just a Void’ Years After Dropping Name and Childhood Persona

Elton John explains why he changed his name from Reginald Dwight, and the moment his past caught up with him, in this exclusive interview clip.

During the interview, GMA ’s Robin Roberts asks John about his aversion to his birth name, both personally and as a budding rock & roll star. Beyond distinguishing himself with an unforgettable name, John also says, “I wanted to leave my childhood and that persona behind.” But as those decisions so often do, this one caught up with him years later before his famous show at Dodger Stadium in 1975. The film — directed by R.J. Cutler and John’s husband David Furnish — finds the musician looking back at his 50-year career in the lead-up to his final North American concert, which also happened to be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

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