Most famous Marmite lovers have to tell you they love it. Elton John gave himself away. Fans looking at a birthday photo he posted on Instagram spotted, in the background, a shelf stocked with jar after jar of Marmite. The brand noticed too, declared him a “true lover” in the “Marmy Army”, and what started as a caught-in-the-act moment turned into a three-year charity partnership. For once the evidence of someone’s Marmite habit was sitting on a shelf in plain sight.
Does Elton John like Marmite?
Yes, and he has the stockpile to prove it. The giveaway was that Instagram post, where his collection of Marmite jars was clearly visible behind him. Marmite seized on it, and Elton happily leaned in rather than denying it, going on to put his name to a run of jars. For a man who could have any luxury he wanted at breakfast, keeping a serious supply of Marmite says more than any quote could.
The Elton John Marmite jars
The discovery led to a genuine collaboration between Marmite and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, running from 2022. It produced a series of limited-edition jars inspired by his career: a “Rocketman” design in 2022, a jar marking the fiftieth anniversary of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” in 2023, and a final jar in honour of Pride. As part of the partnership Marmite donated one million dollars to the Foundation across the run, regardless of how many jars sold. Elton framed it in his own terms: spreading love over hate, which is about the best slogan a love-it-or-hate-it brand could hope for.
Who is Elton John?
He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, and trained as a young pianist at the Royal Academy of Music before reinventing himself as Elton John. With his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin he became one of the best-selling recording artists in history, with a run of songs that have soundtracked the last half-century: “Your Song”, “Rocket Man”, “Tiny Dancer”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “I’m Still Standing” and “Candle in the Wind” among them.
Elton John’s music and life
Beyond the hit singles, he wrote the songs for Disney’s “The Lion King” and the stage musical “Billy Elliot”, and he toured almost constantly until his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” shows. He founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which is why the Marmite partnership took the shape it did, was knighted in 1998, and is married to David Furnish, with whom he has two sons. For all the glasses, the costumes and the grand pianos, the man keeps a cupboard full of Marmite like any other Englishman of his generation.
Elton John’s notable work at a glance
- “Your Song” (1970)
- “Rocket Man” (1972)
- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973)
- “I’m Still Standing” (1983)
- “Candle in the Wind 1997”
- The Lion King and Billy Elliot the Musical
- The Elton John AIDS Foundation (founded 1992)
