Elton John knows how he wants to be best remembered after his death.

When he was honored TIMEThe 77-year-old Icon of the Year singer reflected on fatherhood and how his role as a father is his most important.

“On my gravestone I just want to say, ‘He was a great father,'” John told the outlet while speaking alongside his husband, David Furnish.

The “Rocketman” musician and Furnish, 62, who have been together for more than three decades, have two children together: sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11.

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John expressed a similar sentiment when speaking to us Good morning Americais Robin Roberts in an interview that aired on December 11th.

“My music speaks for itself,” he said. “My legacy is that I was a great husband and an even better father…The music, the career is fantastic. It was overwhelming and groundbreaking. But the most important thing in my life is making sure that my children are happy, that they have a wonderful life and that I have been good to them. Nothing else matters.

The family joined John on stage at his final performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2022, a move that was intentional on the singer’s part.

“Elton wanted the world to really see and feel why he made the decision to stop touring,” Furnish said GMA.

In November, while appearing on Radio Andy to promote Tammy Faye On Broadway, John talked about becoming a father later in life, which he called “the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“For me personally, I’ve had a fantastic life, a great career, incredible achievements, music, blah, blah, blah, but I would say that our sons and David are the most important things to me,” the British artist said.

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However, John is aware that he is at a more advanced age than most parents with young children. In Elton John: Never too latethe new documentary about his life, The music icon detailed that his two children expressed fear of his death.

“You’re thinking about my mortality. They worry about my mortality,” John said in the film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) earlier this year.

In their joint interview with TIMEFurnish also discussed why he and John decided not to homeschool their two sons.

“We have intentionally not homeschooled our children because we want them to be their own people and define life the way they want to be defined,” he explained.