Elton John’s ex-wife, Renate Blauel is a Munich-born sound engineer who married the British singer in 1983 and divorced in 1988. Following the split, Blauel disappeared from the spotlight but reportedly remained friends with the singer. Before the pair got married, the singer publicly came out as bisexual in 1976. However, soon after the divorce, Elton revealed yet again that he was gay, not bisexual.
Renate Blauel went on to live a secluded life in the Uk before she moved to Germany. In June 2020, she launched a legal action against the singer for writing about their relationship in his 2019 Me: Elton John Official Autobiography, claiming he broke the terms of their divorce agreement.
Renate Blauel’s biography
There are conflicting details as regards where Renate Blauel was born. While some sources claim she was born in Munich, others say she was born in Berlin. Regardless of that, her father Joachim Blauel used to be a successful publisher.
Blauel worked as a flight attendant for Lufthansa Airways before she got her first job in the entertainment industry working for Croatia Records. To pursue her career in music production, she relocated to London where she later met Elton John.
Elton John and Renate Bluel’s marriage lasted for only four years
Elton John and Renate Blauel met in London in 1983. The British singer was heavily addicted to drugs and substance usage at that time. After several years of working as a sound recordist, Renate became a full-fledged engineer.
In the coming years, she did a great job as a sound engineer and also Elton’s best friend. While she was described as a quiet and subdued person, the singer had a fiery personality. She was always by his side. During his tour in Australia in support of the Too Low for Zero album, Renate joined him as part of his entourage.
On February 10, 1983, while the pair were having dinner at an Indian restaurant, Elton John proposed to her and three days later, on February 14, the wedding took place.
The wedding ceremony took place at St. Mark’s Anglican church in Darlinghurst in Sydney, Australia. Renate Blauel wore a white silk and lace wedding gown and a gold, heart-shaped pendant featuring 63 diamonds. Elton, the groom wore a white coat that allegedly cost about £1,000 at that time.
At that time, Elton was 36 while Renate was 28. According to reports, Blauel attempted to commit suicide during their honeymoon in St-Tropez after the singer told her he wanted to end their union just after three days.
The two managed to stay married for four years before they divorced in November 1988. The divorce settlement was allegedly around £5 million. Blauel also got a country house in Surrey.
Soon after the divorce, Elton revealed that he was gay, not bisexual. Apparently, he came out publicly in 1976 as bisexual. His marriage to Renate was said to be a means of his wanting to have a family of his own.
Moving on with his life, Elton went on to marry David Furnish in 2014 and they welcomed two sons; Zachary and Elijah via surrogacy together.
See Also: Kimberly Anne Scott: 17 Untold Facts About Eminem’s Ex Wife- Is She Alive?
Where is she now?
Renate Blauel lived a secluded life in the UK after she separated from the singer. There are speculations that she went as far as adopting a new identity in an attempt to cut every connection with her husband. The Guardian reported that she was living privately in a village with her new partner, whose identity is also unknown.
In June 2020, Elton John’s wife resurfaced again with legal action against him. She sued John for writing about their relationship in his 2019 Me: Elton John Official Autobiography claiming that he broke the terms of their divorce deal by discussing their four-year marriage.
Later that same year, the former couple settled out of court. Furthermore, Renate Blauel revealed her ex-husband has always been respectful and helpful in the last three decades. She also added that going forward, she and her former husband would not be discussing each or their marriage.
From the memoir, it was discovered that Elton John’s ex-wife had longstanding mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
