Elton John on Thursday shared a poignant throwback photo of himself with his late friend Princess Diana in honor of the 20th anniversary of her untimely death.
“20 years ago today, the world lost an angel. #RIP,” John, 70, captioned the picture, which shows the musician wearing a bright-blue vest and tailored black suit jacket and Diana wearing an all-black ensemble with ornate detailing on the sleeves and collar. Both icons look thrilled to be together as they smile big for the camera.
The pair were longtime friends, with John famously re-recording his song “Candle in the Wind” to honor Diana after her death in 1997. John performed the song at Diana’s funeral, marking the only time he has performed the song publicly.
An account for the Elton John AIDS Foundation also shared a post Thursday, commemorating Diana’s contributions to the fight against AIDS.
“On the 20th anniversary of her death, Elton John AIDS Foundation acknowledges the outstanding contribution that Princess #Diana made to the fight against AIDS, helping keep men like Gerard McGrath alive,” the caption reads. “This year, Prince Harry, who carried on Diana’s work in the fight against AIDS, met Gerard with @eltonjohn when they visited London Lighthouse, the place where Diana had met Gerard 28 years ago. #Diana20.”
In the recent documentary "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy," John said of the "People's Princess," “She had that incredible ability, which (Harry) kind of inherited, to make people feel at ease and make them feel that everything is going to be all right. ... I haven’t experienced many people in my life who have that ability, but she could walk into a room of people and make them feel as if everything was great.”