Sir Elton Tried to Help Adams With Addictions

Singer/songwriter Ryan Adams has hailed Sir Elton John a "shaman and sorcerer" after the Brit reached out to rescue him from his addiction problems.

The rocker admits he was trapped in a "dark" moment in life, abusing alcohol and drugs, when he met John on a music TV show in 2002.

The Rocket Man hitmaker, who famously battled his own drug demons, offered to help Adams get sober but the young star stubbornly refused.

He tells Britain's The Times, "That guy (John) is like a shaman, he is like a sorcerer, the good wizard, one of the deepest people you can meet in music, but the honest truth is that he was at one point concerned for where I was headed. "I was having a bad time romantically, I was having a hard time writing, he came out of the clouds, checked in on me and I barked at him.

I alluded to him in a very hurtful way, said I was enjoying it down there in the unfathomable darkness.

It was a really s**ty thing to do". Adams, who is now clean, later apologised to John and insists he will always be grateful for the star's kindness. He adds, "He rang and we had a conversation and it was a very redemptive, beautiful thing. Some people need some time to be in the dark".

Meanwhile its been revealed Sir Elton John has raised more than $2 million (£1.3 million) for his AIDS charity by throwing a star-studded gala in New York on Wednesday night (26Oct11).

The singer hosted his 10th annual Enduring Vision event at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and stars including Alec Baldwin, Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Rutherford and Sarah Ferguson turned out in support.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo was also in attendance, and Sir Elton took the opportunity to thank him for the state's recent recognition of gay marriage, praising the politician for "taking a stand in New York and making the dream of marriage equality a reality in the state," according to the Press Association.

The evening included a performance by Smokey Robinson and raised more than $2 million (£1.3 million) for Sir Elton's charity.