Elton John has been left "in shock" after his mum Sheila Farebrother died on Monday morning (04Dec17).
The Rocket Man singer announced the news on Instagram on Monday by sharing a picture of the pair smiling for the camera.
"So sad to say that my mother passed away this morning. I only saw her last Monday and I am in shock," he wrote in the caption. "Travel safe Mum. Thank-you for everything. I will miss you so much. Love, Elton."
Elton had only been back on speaking terms with his mum for a couple of years before she died. They had become estranged in 2008, when the pair fell out after Elton told her to cut off contact with two of their oldest friends, former driver and personal assistant Bob Halley and manager and lover John Reid, but she refused.
"I told him: 'I'm not about to do that and drop them. Bob is like a son to me. He has always been marvellous to me and he lives nearby and keeps an eye on me'," his mother told the Daily Mail in 2015. "Then to my utter amazement, he told me he hated me. And he then banged the phone down. Imagine! To me, his mother!"
She revealed their feud in 2015 after she hired an Elton impersonator for her 90th birthday party, sparking speculation about an estrangement.
However, Elton, 70, told the Sunday Mirror in early 2016 that they buried the hatchet shortly after her 90th. To mark Mother's Day in America earlier this year, he posted a throwback picture of them together and wrote in the caption, "Dear Mum, Happy Mother's Day! So happy we are back in touch. Love, Elton xo."
