Elton John Inducts Bernie Taupin into the Rock Hall of Fame

Elton John inducted his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight with a touching speech filled with gratitude and love.

John declared the duo’s chance first meeting “one of the greatest moments of my life,” declaring that he not only found a lifelong creative partner but the best friend he never had. “We climbed mountains that we never thought were possible to climb, and we scaled heights that we never thought were possible to scale.”

Taupin was equally grateful. “In 1967, I became the luckiest man alive and got the other best wife a man could ever hope for,” Taupin said of John during his acceptance speech. “We’re kind of metaphorically still married, and are as stimulated and excited as what we still do when we shared bunk beds in the cramped room of a tiny apartment in the suburbs of London 56 years ago.”

John then performed a lovely version of one of the duo’s signature songs, 1971’s “Tiny Dancer.”

Taupin and John have been songwriting partners since 1967, and have to date worked together on over 30 albums, with Taupin providing the lyrics for all of Elton’s best-known songs.

Elton John Honored Bernie Taupin at His Own Rock Hall Induction

When Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, he was quick to point out Taupin’s importance to his own career. “I kind of feel [like I’m] cheating standing up here accepting this, because without Bernie, there wouldn’t have been any Elton John at all,” he stated, before inviting Taupin onstage and giving him the trophy. “We’ve been together for a very long time. I love him dearly.”