Elton John and Madonna bury the hatchet after decades-long feud

Madonna has revealed she and Elton John have put an end to over two decades of rivalry after she confronted him backstage at Saturday Night Live.

The two pop stars have been at odds with each other since 2002, when John described Madonna's 'Die Another Day' as "the worst Bond tune ever." John then said "Madonna, best live act? Fuck off" onstage at the 2004 Q Awards, one of several accusations of lip-syncing he directed towards the singer throughout the years.

That same year, Madonna's team responded that she did not "spend her time trashing other artists."

News of the reconciliation was shared by Madonna via Instagram. "We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!" the singer wrote under a picture of the two of them together.

"I remembered when I was in high school- I snuck out of the house one night to see Elton perform live in Detroit!" wrote Madonna. "I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different – to stand out – to take the road, less traveled by. In fact, it was essential.

 

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"Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn’t understand it. I was told Elton John was the musical guest on SNL and I decided to go. I needed to go backstage and confront him.

"When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was 'Forgive me',  and the wall between us fell down. Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging."

At the end of her message, Madonna hinted at a possible collaboration between her and John.

"Then he told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate," she wrote. "It was like everything came full circle!!"

John replied by leaving a comment on Madonna's post.

"Thank you for coming to see me at SNL," he wrote. "And thank you for forgiving me and my big mouth. I’m not proud of what I said. Particularly when I think about all the groundbreaking work you have done as an artist - paving the way for an entire generation of female artists to succeed and be true to themselves."

John also commended her as "one of the very first people to rise up against HIV/AIDS in the 80’s."

"I’m increasingly distressed by all the divisiveness in our world at the moment," he added. "Both you and I have wholeheartedly been accepted and embraced by communities who are under threat around the world. By pulling together, I’m hopeful that we can make great things happen for those who really need support," added John.