Elton John is 'never going to stop,' but will 'take a breather,' says manager

— -- At age 70, Elton John doesn't seem to be slowing down, and still regularly tours the world.

According to his manager, husband David Furnish, not only will John not retire, he simply cannot.

"Without question, Elton must never stop performing. We all have things that kind of keep us alive in life. Some people relish the idea of a retirement where they do nothing [but] for Elton that would be purgatory," Furnish told Music Week. "Playing to live audiences is going to be something he always needs to do."

Furnish, 55, who married John in 2014 and shares two sons with him, said that the musician will also continue to write songs. That passion, Furnish added, "keeps him alive."

"He takes his legacy very seriously and he’s very proud of it, but the most important thing for Elton is that he continues to look forward," he said. "He needs to collaborate."

However, Furnish admitted that because their children are nearly 7 and 5, he and John need to be there for them, and that may affect just how much John will tour. For example, May of next year will see the end of the musician's Las Vegas show, "The Million Dollar Piano."

However, according to Furnish, there are still plenty of projects in the works.

"We’re going to be shooting a live-action musical fantasy version of Elton’s life story called 'Rocket Man' that's going to go into production next year," he said. "I think he feels he needs to take a breather, he needs to step back and take a pause. He’s also working on his memoirs and then we have a few surprises up our sleeve."