Singer Sir Elton John, who, along with
his partner David Furnish, became a father on Christmas, says being a
parent is a wish granted.
Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was
born in California on December 25 via a surrogate. He weighed 7
pounds, 15 ounces and measured 22 inches long.
Sir
Elton told Us magazine that the birth of his son fulfills
the couple's longtime dream of being parents.
“For many years we have talked about
fulfilling one of our greatest wishes by becoming parents,” Sir
Elton said. “And now this wish has been granted to us, we feel so
blessed and lucky.”
The couple attempted to adopt two
Ukrainian boys – Lev and his HIV-positive brother Artyom – last
year, but authorities in the Ukraine didn't approve. At the time,
Sir Elton told reporters that the boys had stolen his heart.
Sir Elton, 63, and Furnish, a
48-year-old filmmaker, entered a UK civil partnership in 2005 after a
12-year engagement.
Sir Elton was blasted last year for
performing at the wedding of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh went on to say that Sir Elton is not a supporter of gay
marriage. But
the singer-songwriter will be performing next month at a fundraiser
for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), a group formed
specifically to support a challenge to California's gay marriage ban,
Proposition 8.