Elton John talks about name and personality changes in the “Good Morning America” clip

Elton John talks about how Reginald Dwight became Elton John and how, years later, he realized that the overhaul of his personality had left him feeling empty inside in this exclusive clip from his upcoming interview Good morning America.

During the interview GMARobin Roberts asks John about his dislike of his birth name, both personally and as a budding rock ‘n’ roll star. For John, “Reginald” was a “really old-fashioned name” and he hated the shortened version of “Reggie.”

John recalls that he famously constructed “Elton John” from the names of two of his bandmates at the time: “I was very clever,” he jokes. “I thought, ‘Nobody’s really called Elton, so I’m going to be Elton, and I’m going to be the only Elton.'”

In addition to having a memorable name, John says, “I wanted to leave my childhood and that personality behind me.” But as is often the case, that decision came to him years later before his famous show at Dodger Stadium in 1975.

“I realized that I was putting everything into my work, my art, and my recording, and there was nothing behind it,” John says. “I was just an emptiness. And so I left little Reggie behind. But little Reggie was still inside me, you know?”

John’s interview with Roberts will air in full tomorrow, December 11th. It is tied to the upcoming release of John’s new documentary. Elton John: Never too latewhich is set to release on Disney+ on December 13th. In the film, directed by RJ Cutler and John’s husband David Furnish, the musician looks back on his 50-year career ahead of his final North American concert, which also happened to be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.