Saturday 14th July 2012 by David Renshaw | Photos by WENN.com

Sir Elton John has claimed that he is lucky to have emerged from a reckless period of his life without any lasting damage to his health.

The 'Candle In The Wind' singer was famously addicted to drink and drugs throughout the 1980's and has admitted that he 'wasted' that period of his life being irresponsible and self-centred.

'I wasted such a big part of my life, when this epidemic was beginning to happen in the early 1980s. And I was a drug addict and self-absorbed," Elton said during an appearance on the Today show. 

'I was consumed by cocaine, booze, and who knows what else. I apparently never got the memo that the Me generation had ended.'

Adding: 'You know, I was having people die right, left and centre around me, friends. And yet, I didn't stop the life that I had, which is the terrible thing about addiction. It's that - you know, it's that bad of a disease.

Elton went on to discuss the AIDS charity he runs and how relieved he feels to not have found himself HIV Positive during his time under the influence: 'You know what? When you take a drug and you take a drink and you mix those two together, you think you're invincible. I came out of this HIV-negative. I was the luckiest man in the world.'

Elton John recently expressed fears for Lady Gaga and her health after watching his friend work non-stop on her touring schedule.

Photos: Sir Elton John live in Manchester