Arthur lookalike John Legend is just ONE letter away from winning an EGOT, which means two things: He's super talented, and he knows how important it is to get all the letters in order to win.
Apparently he's known this from a very young age because back in 1989, a 10-year-old John won the Springfield District Spelling Bee.
Congrats @johnlegend on winning the 1989 Spelling Bee https://t.co/94ntMnozY8
Look how adorable!
Legend, who was born John Stephens, grew up in Springfield, Ohio and was homeschooled, along with his siblings, by his mother until he attended high school.
An excerpt from the original 1989 story, first reported by the Springfield News-Sun, proves that John was just as dapper as he is now, but was no-nonsense when it came to winning, always having is eye on the prize.
The suit and tie, the steady gaze, the crisp enunciation – John Stephens came the win the Springfield District Spelling Bee Thursday, and win he did.
The only contestant who wore a suit and tie, John, 10, strode to the microphone, looked pronouncer Dwayne Frank in the eye and correctly spelled “prejudice” to take home the title of Springfield spelling champ.
His mother uses curriculum from Springfield Christian Schools to teach John and his siblings, Ronald II, Vaughn, and Missy, in their Lexington Ave. home.
At the time, John credited his mother and tutor for his win saying, "I thought I could pull it off. My mom and Tish (his former tutor) helped me study."
Now let's all look at this and just pretend he's spelling the winning word (which was prejudice, btw).
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@billboard @johnlegend Well he's a legend...what do you expect