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Los Angeles - Sir Elton John believes his appendicitis scare was a "sign" for him to slow down.
The 66-year-old musician was struck down with the condition in July and had to cancel his summer tour dates to have an emergency operation.
Elton - who plays up to 100 concerts a year and raises two young sons, Zachary, two, and seven-month-old Elijah, with his husband David Furnish - believes it was his body's way of telling him he needs to start taking better care of himself and make time to relax.
The Rocket Man singer said: "I knew I was sick but I didn't know I had such a dangerous thing inside of me until I had a scan, which was after nine shows, 24 flights and a summer ball. I could have easily died ... Your sense of your own mortality kicks in.
"This is a wake-up call. I'm 66 not 36 anymore. I want to write another musical for Broadway and I want to spend more time with my children. I don't have to tour. I don't need the money. I just love playing."
'I want to be there'
He added: "When I had the operation, I said, 'This has got to stop, this is crazy, why am I doing this?' I'm a great believer in signs coming to you in life to tell you something. This appendix thing, I'm treating is as a sign in great big letters saying, 'For fuck's sake, get a grip!'"
Elton - who received the Brit Icon Award on Monday night - plans to significantly reduce his workload when his oldest son Zachary goes to school because he wants to be around to care for him.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: "The great thing about small children is they're portable, so we take them everywhere, but when it comes to 2015, Zachary's going to school, and I want to be there to drop him off and pick him up.
"I don't want to just be the father who reads them a bedtime story. I want to be one of the dads in the playground, there for parents' evenings, sports day. I am so looking forward to it."
The 66-year-old musician was struck down with the condition in July and had to cancel his summer tour dates to have an emergency operation.
Elton - who plays up to 100 concerts a year and raises two young sons, Zachary, two, and seven-month-old Elijah, with his husband David Furnish - believes it was his body's way of telling him he needs to start taking better care of himself and make time to relax.
The Rocket Man singer said: "I knew I was sick but I didn't know I had such a dangerous thing inside of me until I had a scan, which was after nine shows, 24 flights and a summer ball. I could have easily died ... Your sense of your own mortality kicks in.
"This is a wake-up call. I'm 66 not 36 anymore. I want to write another musical for Broadway and I want to spend more time with my children. I don't have to tour. I don't need the money. I just love playing."
'I want to be there'
He added: "When I had the operation, I said, 'This has got to stop, this is crazy, why am I doing this?' I'm a great believer in signs coming to you in life to tell you something. This appendix thing, I'm treating is as a sign in great big letters saying, 'For fuck's sake, get a grip!'"
Elton - who received the Brit Icon Award on Monday night - plans to significantly reduce his workload when his oldest son Zachary goes to school because he wants to be around to care for him.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: "The great thing about small children is they're portable, so we take them everywhere, but when it comes to 2015, Zachary's going to school, and I want to be there to drop him off and pick him up.
"I don't want to just be the father who reads them a bedtime story. I want to be one of the dads in the playground, there for parents' evenings, sports day. I am so looking forward to it."
