Elton John

Elton John pleads for international AIDS education

Web posted on: Friday, May 08, 1998 4:29:19 PM EDT

From Reporter Russ Jamieson

ATLANTA (CNN) -- He has weathered decades of rock 'n' roll, personal drug abuse and the recent loss of prominent friends to violence and tragedy. But those were not the topics entertainer Elton John touched on Thursday night as he addressed CNN's World Report conference in Atlanta. John, 51, appeared before an international audience at the conference to spearhead a panel discussion dealing with the global AIDS crisis. Many Americans, he said, think the AIDS epidemic has been brought under control by drugs now on the market. He pointed out that new generations must constantly be educated about how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted.

VIDEO

Elton John performs (2:30 VXtreme streaming video)

'We need to fight the virus, not each other'

"We need to fight the virus and not each other ... I urge you to support, not prevent, the correct message from reaching the world's youth," John said. He continued, "Let's find a vaccine, let's teach prevention. So much has been done, but that's not enough." For most of his career, Elton John was a flamboyant glam rocker, selling millions of albums worldwide as he lived the high life. He seldom paused in his trip down the fast lane. But in the last decade his stage appearances have turned more serious, the issues which concern him more global. Last August he sang a somber and moving rendition of "Candle in the Wind" at the funeral of friend Princess Diana, killed in a Paris car accident. Only a month before, Diana had comforted him at the funeral of fashion designer Gianni Versace. But perhaps his most deeply felt personal loss came in 1990, when Indiana teen Ryan White died from an AIDS-tainted blood transfusion. His death led John to establish the Atlanta-based Elton John AIDS Foundation. He has since distributed nearly $15 million worldwide in the fight against AIDS. John has long sought to persuade politicians to allow needle exchange programs, pushing for continued research into a vaccine and fighting against complacency. "The recent success of drug therapies has had a chilling effect on public policy. Many elected officials in Western countries and, it seems, much of the public, are under the false impression that the AIDS epidemic is over," he said. "Many no longer feel there is an urgent need for public funding or private donations for services for people living with HIV and AIDS. They are wrong." Twenty-five years ago, music may have been his mistress. But it now shares the stage with another passion, another cause, brought close to him by the death of so many he has held dear.

Related stories:

• Celebrities sing to save rainforests - April 28, 1998
• Elton John becomes 'Sir Elton' - Dec. 30, 1997
• Elton John receives award for AIDS work - Nov. 18, 1997

Related sites:

• Elton John AIDS Foundation Online
• CNN World Report Conference

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