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The British singer-songwriter, on a break from
his farewell world tour, welcomed the likes of Coldplay frontman
Chris Martin, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, actress Joan
Collins and Taron Egerton, who plays John in "Rocketman," to a
villa in Cap d'Antibes in France.
"We're here for the Elton John AIDS foundation, our first south
of France fundraiser, hopefully to raise money for people who
desperately need it in our fight against HIV and AIDS," John
told reporters.
Martin performed "Viva La Vida" and was joined on stage by John
for a performance of "I'm Still Standing" and "Rocketman."
Guests bid on auction items ranging from a limited-edition
luxury Bentley car, a Gucci jacket worn by Egerton in the
biopic, and tickets to John's final world tour.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation last year announced a MenStar
Coalition that aims to expand diagnosis and treatment of HIV
infections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Wednesday's party was thrown to support a program to provide HIV
self-test kits to 400,000 young men in Kenya.
"The thing is for people to get tested, to know their status,
not to be ashamed of it. It's a very treatable disease," John
said on Wednesday.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has donated some $450 million to
projects since it was founded in 1992, according to foundation
officials. Much of the money comes from annual parties and
auctions in Los Angeles and New York.
(Reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and
Michael Perry)
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