Elton John is to guest-edit a special World Aids Day edition of The Independent and its newly launched sister paper, i. All circulation revenues from the one-off editions on December 01, 2010 will be given to the musician's charity, the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Elton embraced the idea in the knowledge that it would give him an opportunity to commission news, features and commentary to highlight the World Aids Day campaign, which aims to increase awareness of HIV in the UK and globally. He will edit The Independent during a break from a major American tour with Leon Russell.

"I was thrilled to be invited to guest edit The Independent," said Elton. "I'm really looking forward to spending a day in the editor's chair, and I'm pleased to get the chance to put the subject of Aids at the top of the editorial agenda."

Elton's guest editorship follows a similar experiment in 2006 when Bono edited an iconic (RED) issue of The Independent, raising money to help fight Aids in Africa. The edition was warmly received and led to a sales increase of 70,000 copies. Simon Kelner, editor of The Independent, said: "From football to music to politics, and, of course, on the subject of Aids, Elton has much to say, and I'm sure The Independent of December 01, 2010 will be diverse, entertaining and impactful."

Back to Headlines