Elton John is still looking better than ever in his riveting new documentary. Elton John: Never too latea look back at the highs and lows of the singer’s 50-year career.

The documentary, premiering on Disney+ on December 13, includes never-before-seen footage, diaries and audio interviews from his memoir Me, plus animations that relive the Grammy winner’s memories. It was directed by Elton’s husband David Furnish (who also produced the 2019 Elton biopic). Rocket Man) and RJ Cutler (The September issue), the film follows the rock star during his final appearances in America, culminating in a concert on November 20, 2022 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

The filmmakers hope that by showing how Elton John went from battling drug addiction to overcoming abuse and starting a family, the film will inspire others seeking change in their own lives. According to the title Never too late“The message of the film is that it is never too late to make decisions that impact your life,” Cutler tells TIME.

Here’s a look at some of the film’s most memorable moments:

A history of abuse

Elton describes his parents as violent. He endured beatings while going potty and even while walking down the street in front of people.

From a young age he had the gift of hearing a melody and then playing it on the piano. His father hated rock ‘n’ roll, so he set out to prove him wrong. He enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music and formed a band called Bluesology. In the late ’60s, he answered an ad from Liberty Records looking for songwriters and met his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. To distance himself from his abusive childhood, he changed his birth name from Reginald Kenneth Dwight to Elton John. His father never saw him perform.

Elton says his former manager and lover John Reid, who he dated from 1970 to 1975, also abused him, once hitting him in the face so hard that he had cuts all over his face and his nose began to bleed.

Elton says that through his performance on stage he is able to overcome the dark moments of his past. In the film, Elton describes music as “my sex” and “an escape,” noting, “I never put my private life on stage.”

His friendship with John Lennon

The film delves deep into Elton’s friendship with another legendary British rock star, John Lennon.

Elton remembers once drinking cocaine with John Lennon in a “mountains” hotel and Andy Warhol knocking on the door.

In the film, there is footage of John Lennon surprising the crowd at Elton’s Thanksgiving concert at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 1974. They played “Whatever Gets You Through the Night.”

Lennon’s ex, the artist Yoko Ono, ended up in the audience. Lennon and Ono reunited shortly after the show. Elton eventually became the godfather of her son Sean.

The 1974 Thanksgiving show would be the Beatles’ last major concert appearance. He was fatally shot in New York City on December 8, 1980.

I really want to settle down

One of the most surprising things Furnish found out about his husband in 1976 Rolling Stone Interview in which the star said: “I long to be loved” and “I just want to settle down” and “I would like to have some children.” Elton appeared to be bisexual by saying: “I have I haven’t met anyone I would like to settle down with – regardless of gender.”

Elton got sober in 1990 at the age of 43. “It took me 43 years to learn how to function as a human being and not as a rock star,” he says in the documentary.

When Furnish first met Elton, it seemed as if the musician’s career left no time for children. Also the documentary from 1997 Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras (also directed by Furnish) created the widespread impression that the rock star was a hothead. As Furnish tells TIME, “Unfortunately, it associated Elton with tantrums and the idea that he’ll lose his rag at the drop of a hat. And there were no tantrums in the making of this film.”

Elton John: Never too late makes it clear that Elton’s marriage to Furnish and their two sons Zachary and Elijah provides peace of mind. In the film, Elton is portrayed as a loving father. He shares beautiful moments with his sons, takes their calls and asks how school went.

“I’ve never felt happier than I do right now,” Elton, now 77, said at the film’s Sept. 24 premiere in Manhattan, where he performed “Tiny Dancer.” He said music alone “didn’t satisfy me”; he only felt complete when he married and became a father. “I found utopia. You can come here if you have a little faith.”