HOLLYWOOD—In life you’ll realize there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some people will test you, some will use you, and some will teach you. However, some will bring out the best in you. Keep people in your life who truly love you for you, motivate you, encourage you, and make you happy. If you know people who do none of these things, let them go. Sometimes we just need to prioritize, what’s more important to us, family, friends or work. Last December, Elton John said, goodbye to his 92-year-old mom. I suppose her passing started the ball rolling about family.

Sir Elton John has announced he will stop touring in order to prioritize his family. Speaking in New York, the star said he would say goodbye to fans with a series of 300 dates spanning three years. His priorities have changed, family first. According to published reports, the star has denied reports in the press that he was retiring due to ill health. Last year he picked up an infection and he was very ill.

However, he still did 96 shows. Sir Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road will kick off in the US this September, just months after he ends his six-month residency in Las Vegas. He wants to go out with a big bang, not with a whimper. After his tour, he may consider another residency. Elton John’s hits include “Tiny Dancer,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Benny and the Jets” and “Your Song” just to name a few. The singer also wants to spend time at home with his husband, David Furnish and his two children.

He said, “I’m not stopping music. I’ll hopefully be making more records; I’ll be writing more musicals. But mostly, I’ll be taking my kid to soccer academy-which is the most important thing.” Sir Elton said, he would be “creative up till the day I die” and that his farewell tour would be “a wonderful way to thank people.” His two sons-who will be 8 and 10 when the tour ends-will join him for parts of the tour, while being taught by a tutor. Sir Elton has sold more than 300 million records over his career and is one of the world’s most-in-demand live performers.

Last year, he was forced to cancel nine shows in Las Vegas and California because of a bacterial infection he contracted during a South American tour. His management team said the “potentially deadly” infection forced him to spend two nights in intensive care in April and to cancel concerts in the U.S. It was not the first time ill health stopped the star from stepping on stage. Back in 1999, he was fitted with a pacemaker when doctors found an irregular heartbeat. In 2013, the star cancelled a headline slot at London’s Hyde Park after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

In 2017, he played almost 100 shows, including dates in Europe and Australia, as well as his demanding Las Vegas show, “The Million Dollar Piano.” While, he has taken the decision to reduce his workload, Sir Elton is still juggling several projects. The star is due to perform a duet with Miley Cyrus at Sunday’s Grammy Awards and will host a special concert in his honor at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, January 30. Guest stars include, Sam Smith, Chris Martin, Kesha, John Legend and Keith Urban. The 60th Annual Grammy Awards show hosted by James Corden will be a awards show full of entertainment and surprises.

He is currently working on a Broadway musical based on “The Devil Wears Prada,” as well as the live action version of Disney’s “The Lion King” and the animation “Sherlock Gnomes,” by his own production company. I was just a kid when I saw Elton John for the first time in my life. It was at Madison Square Garden. It was the night that everyone in the audience went ballistic as John Lennon came on stage to sing “Whatever Gets You Through The Night,” “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” The show, which was held on Thanksgiving night, was Lennon’s last ever major concert appearance. For that, I thank my family for letting me go, it was an unforgettable evening. I was truly blessed to see Sir Elton John and John Lennon both on stage.

Rose’s Scoop: The release of Sony’s forthcoming live-action “Barbie” film has been delayed until 2020. The movie, which was scheduled for this August has been delayed for two more years. Amy Schumer was originally set to star in the leading role, however, due to scheduling conflicts, its understood Anne Hathaway is now in talks to take over.