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Elton John teams up with TikTok to host live event with Sam Smith, more for World AIDS Day

LOS ANGELES — The Elton John AIDS Foundation and TikTok are teaming up to raise awareness about the disease through a campaign and live event for World AIDS Day.

John’s foundation and the social networking service announced their collaboration Tuesday for a live show on Dec. 1. The event will air on John’s TikTok channel featuring the singer and husband-filmmaker David Furnish along with performances by Sam Smith, Sam Fender and Rina Sawayama.

The campaign kicks off Wednesday with an HIV/AIDS Education & Awareness quiz to test TikTokers’ knowledge of the disease. The campaign is also expected to help educate TikTokers about the prevention and own sexual health.

The hope is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

“We all need to care about HIV and end the discrimination around this disease,” John said in a statement. “There’s a great lineup for our TikTok Live to break down the myths around HIV, talk about safe sex and ensure that young people know how to protect themselves and others.”

John has long been a proponent for spreading awareness about HIV and AIDS.

Earlier this year, the 73-year-old English artist wrote an article for The Atlantic published July where he discussed how the AIDS/HIV epidemic was "exacerbated by racism, bias, and discrimination" and that everyone deserves access to good health care regardless of their background and how they identify.

"We can achieve an AIDS-free generation in America—but only if we design a system of care that embraces Black people and marginalized communities, and tackles structural racism head-on," John wrote before listing a few organizations that are helping address these issues. "They need federal, state, and local governments behind them, and they need our communities to recognize the truth: that in America today, racism and bigotry drive HIV/AIDS."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elton John teams up with TikTok to host event for World AIDS Day