Buy Elton John for Christmas

Sep 29, 2005, 11:29 GMT

Elton John is offering himself as a Christmas present - for a staggering 850,000GBP.

The pop legend is giving rich fans the chance to buy him for a private concert to raise money for his charity, the Elton John Aids Foundation.

The generous singer has agreed to perform for up to 500 people for an hour and a half, on the condition it is not a commercial venture.

The amazing gift is available from America's Neiman Marcus catalogue, which specialises in luxury presents.

A source revealed to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Everyone who knows Elton knows he'd do anything for charity. He was approached by the catalogue bosses who asked if he'd give up a night in return for lots of money. He didn't have to think twice."

Elton has raised millions for his Aids Foundation since setting it up in the 1990s.

He recently admitted he feels "ashamed" for not speaking out about the deadly disease in the '80s.

The outrageous singer says he wished he'd done more to draw attention to the truth about Aids when it first appeared, but admits he was too high on drugs to care.

He said: "I'm ashamed I did nothing during the Aids crisis. When all my friends were dying, I was gutless. I didn't have the courage to say anything. Why wasn't I out there marching?"

Copyright 2005 BANG Media International