Why Madonna and Elton John 'Finally Buried the Hatchet' After Decades-Long Feud: 'I Needed to Confront Him'

A Madonna and Elton John collaboration could be on the way.

In an Instagram post on Monday, April 7, the "Like a Prayer" singer revealed that she and the EGOT winner are no longer feuding. "We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!" Madonna, 66, began her caption, telling fans she saw John, 78, perform at Saturday Night Live this weekend.

"I remembered when I was in high school- I snuck out of the house one night to see Elton perform live in Detroit! It was an unforgettable performance that helped me understand the transformative power of music."

Madonna said that seeing the "Bennie and the Jets" singer perform when she was a teenager "changed the course" of her life." "I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different-to stand out- to take the road, less traveled by. In fact, it was essential."

However, it hurt Madonna to know that "someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist," through the years. "I didn’t understand it."

When Madonna found out that John was going to be the Saturday Night Live musical guest on April 5, she decided to attend the show. "I needed to go backstage and confront him . When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was, 'Forgive Me' and the wall between us fell down."

"Forgiveness is a powerful tool," she continued. "Within minutes. We were hugging." The Desperately Seeking Susan star added that John told her he wrote a song for her and wanted to collaborate. "It was like everything came full circle!!"

"And you can tell everybody , This is Your Song……….💙🩵🩶🤍," Madonna signed off her post, referring to the 1970 song.

John responded to Madonna's post in the comments section, where he thanked her for coming to see him and for forgiving his past transgressions.

"Thank you for coming to see me at SNL. And thank you for forgiving me and my big mouth. I'm not proud of what I said," he wrote. "Particularly when I think about all the groundbreaking work you have done as an artist - paving the way for an entire generation of female artists to succeed and be true to themselves."

The musician also praised Madonna for being one of the first people to "rise up against HIV/AIDS in the '80s, bringing love and compassion to so many who desperately needed it."

"I'm grateful we can move forward. 🙏🏻🚀 I'm increasingly distressed by all the divisiveness in our world at the moment," he continued. "Both you and I have wholeheartedly been accepted and embraced by communities who are under threat around the world. By pulling together, I’m hopeful that we can make great things happen for those who really need support. And have a lot of fun doing it!! ❤️❤️🚀🚀"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Madonna and John's feud dates back to 2002 when he took repeated digs at the "Vogue" singer.

It started when John called Madonna's "Die Another Day" "the worst Bond tune ever." "It hasn't got a tune," he told the U.K. outlet Sky News at the time. "James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one's different ... They should have gone for somebody like Lulu and Shirley Bassey, or maybe I'm in that league?"

Two years later, he said he was shocked to see Madonna nominated for best live performance at the 2004 Q Awards. "Since when has lip-synching been live? Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay 75 pounds to see them should be shot." A rep for Madonna denied any lip-synching allegations at the time.

In 2011, John reflected on the lip-synching comments, telling Rolling Stone that he's a fan but "live means live." "I didn't want to hurt her feelings, and subsequently I've made up and apologized. I think she paved the way for everybody, but I am right. I'm right. Live means live."

In October 2023, things seemed less hostile between the two. John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation released a joint statement, praising Madonna's performance during her Celebration Tour honoring those who have died from the disease.

"We're deeply moved by the heartfelt tribute from @madonna during her Celebration Tour performance of ‘Live to Tell’, honouring the 40.4 million people we've lost to AIDS," the Instagram statement read.

"Thank you, Madonna, for your advocacy and compassion, and for raising important awareness of the ongoing mission to end AIDS," the statement continued.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

"With 39 million people living with HIV today, 9.4 million of whom are not currently on life-saving treatment, we must keep using our voices and platforms to ensure everyone has the opportunity to live full and healthy lives."

John was joined by Brandi Carlile to perform "Little Richard's Bible" and "Who Believes in Angels?" at Studio 8H, plugging their new collaborative album Who Believes in Angels? while Jack Black hosted.