For ages, musicians have been entertaining the world with their music, but also making headlines for drama among them that plays out for all the public to see.
Sometimes it starts when two artists in the same genre become rivals — just look at Tupac vs. Biggie, Nicki vs. Cardi, Nas vs. Jay-Z, and that’s just hip-hop. Other times, it’s members of the same band, or collaborators who go from friends to fractured — looking at you, Beatles, Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. But while many of those fights and misunderstandings never get resolved, sometimes artists have been able to own up to their missteps and extend an apology to someone they treated unfairly — and sometimes, it takes a really, really long time for that to happen.
With all the popular songs on the subject of saying sorry — OneRepublic’s 2007 smash hit “Apologize,” on which Ryan Tedder repeatedly sings, “It’s too late to apologize,” in particular — you might be surprised how some performers take years — a decade or two, even! — to offer their mea culpas. It takes a big person to own up to their mistakes, but to do it publicly? That’s a big deal, even when the apology comes many years later than it should have.
From Justin Timberlake to Elton John, keep reading to learn about seven times musicians finally issued long overdue apologies — 10 years and more after the fact.
Better late than never?
