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"Sir Elton John has said that he &amp;quot;should have died&amp;quot; in the 1990s. The &amp;#039;Candle in the Wind&amp;#039; singer said that his behaviour while addicted to drugs and alcohol left him open to contracting HIV. In a speech at the International AIDS Conference, John said: &amp;quot;Here&amp;#039;s a story of a young man coming to terms with his sexuality, who got mixed up in drugs and drink. &amp;quot;He took chances with unprotected sex, and he was at very high risk of contracting HIV. He hit rock bottom, his life was a mess. &amp;quot;He should have died, to be honest, and he almost did. By all rights, I shouldn&amp;#039;t be here. I should be dead, six feet under, in a wooden box. &amp;quot;I should have contracted HIV in the 1980s and died in the 1990s, just like Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson and many friends and loved ones. Every day, I wonder, how did I survive?&amp;quot; John was attempting to raise awareness of AIDS, and used the opportunity to call for more funding. &amp;quot;If this country wanted to end HIV infections at home it could do so in a heartbeat. All it takes is a bit more funding and a bit more understanding. All it takes is dialogue,&amp;quot; he explained. The 65-year-old also called for more understanding of HIV, saying: &amp;quot;The AIDS disease is caused by a virus, but the AIDS epidemic is not. The AIDS epidemic is fuelled by stigma, violence and indifference. &amp;quot;Science can stop the disease, but science alone can&amp;#039;t end the plague.&amp;quot; Watch Elton John at the International AIDS Conference below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a395031/elton-john-i-should-have-contracted-hiv-and-died/>