Elton John wants to adopt a
14-month-old boy from the Ukraine, saying Saturday that the toddler has “stolen my heart” after meeting him at an orphanage.
The British singer-songwriter, visiting the Ukraine with his AIDS charity foundation, performed for children at the orphanage, some of whose parents had died of the disease.
Asked at a press conference later with his partner David Furnish, 42, whether they had ever considered adopting, John said he wanted to adopt 14-month-old Lev.
“David and I have always talked about adoption. David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said ‘no’ because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn’t be fair for the child.
“But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him,” he said on Sky News.
“I don’t know how we do that, but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David’s heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home.
“I’ve changed my mind today.”
John said the recent death of his long-term keyboardist, Guy Babylon, had also helped change his mind.
“It broke my heart because he was such a genius and so young and has two wonderful children,” he said.
“What better opportunity to replace someone I lost than to replace him with someone I can give a future to.”
Ukraine has one of the fastest rising HIV rates in Europe.
Two years ago the iconic singer gave a free concert in the main square in Kiev attended by tens of thousands of people to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.
John has sold more than 250 million records worldwide, with 29 consecutive Top 40 Hits and 35 gold and 25 platinum albums.
Pierre Cossette, a celebrated producer known as the “father” of the Grammy awards ceremony, has died aged 85 in Montreal, according to the hospital where he was being treated.
He passed away on Friday night after suffering from heart failure, a spokeswoman for Barrie Memorial hospital, Jacqueline Bourboin, said.
“It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our dear friend and the father of the Grammy awards,” said Neil Portnow, the president of the Recording Academy, in a statement.
Cossette, who retired in 2005, produced numerous shows on Broadway and for US television.
Michael Jackson was buried with one of his iconic white gloves, sunglasses and dressed with pearl beads and a large gold belt, his sister, La Toya Jackson, said in a television interview aired on Friday. “He was dressed in all white pearl beads going across, draped across [and] a beautiful big gold belt ... like a belt that you win being a boxer,” La Toya told journalist Barbara Walters in a 20/20 interview that aired on ABC on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Janet Jackson’s
event-opening tribute to her late brother garnered the most publicity ahead of last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. But a slew of more contemporary artists aimed to make just as big a splash.
Much of the buzz surrounded the performance of Lady Gaga, which MTV personnel described as historic. The dance diva and singer of hits such as Just Dance and Poker Face rehearsed in secrecy, unlike many of the other performers lined up for the annual bash, including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Green Day, Taylor Swift, Muse and Pink.
Lady Gaga and Beyonce led the nominations with nine nods each, while Britney Spears hoped to cap her comeback trail by turning some of her seven nominations into wins. Kanye West, Eminen and Coldplay garnered four nominations each, ahead of Green Day with three and Jay-Z with two.
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