Sad Story Time: Elton John’s Estranged Mother Has Become Friends With A Lookalike Of Her Son

Elton John and his 90-year-old mother Sheila Farebrother (that’s a hot last name, by the way) haven’t said a word to each other in over 7 years. Sheila told The Daily Mail a few months ago that Elton stopped talking to her after he demanded that she cut off two of his ex-employees she had become friends with and she refused. Sheila thinks that Elton’s husband David Furnish controls him and is part of the reason why she has no relationship with him. Elton hasn’t completely cut Sheila off. He still pays her bills. Sheila turned 90 back in March and she invited Elton. After he turned down her invitation, she hired an Elton John impersonator to fill the void. That is sadness wrapped in creepiness. (Side note: Please tell me that impersonator had a gig afterward where he had to play Donald Trump and that’s the reason why he’s wearing that dog butt wig.)

Since her birthday party, Sheila and the Elton John impersonator, Paul Bacon, have become friends. They’ve had lunch and she’s gone to London to see him perform as her son several times. Paul tells The Daily Mail that their relationship isn’t something out of American Horror Story or anything. Sheila doesn’t believe that Paul is Elton and she doesn’t make him put on a nightgown before singing him a lullaby as she tucks him in. It hasn’t gone there. Paul says that they do have a bond, though, and they talk about her son a lot.

“It’s um, a friendship, yes. She knows I’m not Elton, of course she does. I liken it to acting. I’m playing a part. When you go to see Helen Mirren play the Queen, you know it’s not actually the Queen.

No, no. I know it’s odd. I’m as surprised as anyone. But she’s a lovely lady. I think for that moment when she’s watching me she can just remember all those times she enjoyed. She was Elton’s biggest fan. She’d spent her whole life going to see him and enjoying every minute of it.

Obviously we talk about him. She loves telling stories and we’ll talk about the songs and she’ll say ‘That reminds me of . . .’ and come out with an anecdote about some tour or other, or she’ll throw in a reference to Rod Stewart popping round and I’ll want to pinch myself. But I haven’t asked about the situation between them. I do feel a bit caught in the middle. I think Sheila is wonderful, but I am only doing this job because I was a big Elton fan to start with. I wouldn’t want to upset him.”

A pile of pure sadness, that is. What would be even more weird is if Elton John makes David Furnish dress up as his mom when they have Sunday afternoon tea together.

I bet that stand-in sons is going to become a thing now. Do not show this story to my mother. She’ll hire someone who sort of looks like me to have dinner with her, because she’s sick of me getting plastered and falling asleep at the table before dessert arrives.