POP/ROCK - June 3, 1987

Elton John said Tuesday he will take a year off from live performances to rest his voice--primarily because it has become lower in pitch following his throat operation last year. The flamboyant singer, in Beijing with the soccer club that he owns, said he would continue to make records, however. “(The voice) is going to be fine, but it just needs rest,” he said. “At one point about two months after the operation, I was very frightened, I couldn’t get any falsetto. I think my voice has gone down in pitch, in timbre, but I’ve got my falsetto back.”