John Reid music manager

John Reid, born on 9 September 1949 in Paisley, Scotland, is a music manager known for his work with Elton John and Queen. He grew up in Paisley, attended St Mirin's Academy alongside singers Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, and later studied marine engineering at Stow College before moving to London in 1969. Reid began his music management career at age 18 as a promoter for EMI and became the UK manager for Tamla Motown by 1970. That year, he also met Elton John at a Motown Christmas party, beginning both a romantic and professional relationship that lasted five years personally but continued professionally until 1998. Their business partnership ended over a leaked letter detailing John's spending, leading to a legal settlement of £3.4 million in 2000.

Reid managed British rock band Queen from 1975 to 1978 and later worked with Irish dancer Michael Flatley until their relationship ended in a wrongful termination lawsuit settled for £1 million. In 1974, he was involved in an altercation in New Zealand that led to his conviction for assault and a one-month prison sentence. Reid retired from management in 1999 but remained active in popular culture, appearing as a judge on the Australian version of *The X Factor* in 2005 and 2006. He also sold his art collection, estimated at £2 million, in 1998. Reid has been portrayed by Aidan Gillen in the film *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018) and Richard Madden in *Rocketman* (2019).