Elton John's tears for friends

24-05-2006 19:20

Elton John has spoken of his heartbreak after losing 60 friends to AIDS.The pop icon - who has raised millions for sufferers through his Elton John AIDS Foundation - says watching so many people die of the disease has left him grief-stricken.The 'Rocket Man' singer - who counts Queen frontman Freddie Mercury among his lost pals - is quoted in Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "I'm devastated to have watched friends I loved very much die from this terrible disease." He added: "I've never mentioned before the shock of seeing a young woman who worked in my office die because anti-retrovirals were then unavailable."More recently a young man suddenly fell ill and died within three months."The star also urged better education about the illness.Elton, who was speaking at a business event in London, said: "We don't have a medical vaccine but we have a social vaccine and it's called education."