Veteran singer Elton John says fame is a curse and it kills. John admits the thought of becoming a famous musician was very attractive when he was starting out, but now it has lost its appeal as it cost him his friends.

"Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, all dead. Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn't been famous," dailystar.co.uk quoted him as saying.

"Fame attracts lunatics."

"I never had a bodyguard, ever, until Gianni died. I don't like (being) celebrity anymore," he added.