Who Is Elton John's Ex-Wife, Renate Blauel — and Why Is She Suing Him?

Lots of people loved getting an insider's look at the life Elton John in his 2019 memoir Me and the movie Rocketman. But one person was decidedly unhappy with the details of his life being publicized in that intimate way: his ex-wife Renate Blauel. 

Blauel was married to the legendary musician for four years in the 1980s. At the time, John identified as bisexual and the relationship with a woman seemed in character for the singer. By the time they split up, he was only interested in pursuing relationships with men.

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Blauel never shared her side of the story because she is averse to attention and retreated from public life after their split in 1988. She has taken great pains to live anonymously in the decades since then but her privacy was damaged when the retrospectives about John's life were released. She is now suing John for breaking agreements they made at the time of their divorce to protect her privacy.

Who is Elton John's ex-wife, Renate Blauel?

Read all about the suit and her life since the divorce. 

Who is Renate Blauel?

Blauel was a music industry pro but not a performer. The German native worked as a sound technician who was part of the production team for John's 1983 album Too Low For Zero. The two met in the studio and became close. She even traveled with him on his tour to promote the album and he proposed to her in 1984. They were married in Australia later that year. However, the marriage didn't last. They announced they were planning to divorce in 1988. The split came in part because John's travel schedule meant they didn't see each other enough to maintain a relationship. The other major reason was that Elton John was ready to embrace being gay, after years of identifying as bisexual.