Elton John is writing, but this time he's final goal is a book rather than more music. His latest page-turner is called 'Love Is the Cure,' and it's due July 17.

Elton chose to reflect on his life since the '80s, a period where he began to see friend after friend dying from and dealing with the AIDS epidemic. During the '80s, he met and befriended a young Indiana boy named Ryan White, whose tragic tale played out in the media as he was ostracized in his town and his school after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion.

Elton says it was Ryan's courageous battle that made him realize that his own life was a mess and that doing something to help stop the AIDS crisis would give him focus. Since that time, he's launched the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised and donated $275 million to fighting the disease worldwide.

Elton writes, "This is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers and to build bridges of compassion. Why are we not doing more? This is a question I have thought deeply about, and wish to answer - and help to change - by writing this book."

In the new book, Elton tells the stories of his friendships with Ryan White and Freddie Mercury as well as fellow celebrity activists like Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor among others.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. You can pre-order the book here and listen to Elton reading an excerpt from the book here.

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