TRIBUTES LIVE ON –
April 2, 2022 – “I had the luck to meet Ryan White and his family,” John said. “I wanted to help them, but they ended up helping me much more. Ryan was the spark that helped me to recover from my addictions and start the AIDS foundation. Within six months (of White’s death) I became sober, and clean, and have been for 27 years.” White, a Kokomo native who contracted HIV as a child through a contaminated blood transfusion, died on April 8, 1990. John visited White at Riley Hospital for Children on, April 2, just days before he succumbed to his illness.
John made a surprise appearance at the fourth Farm Aid benefit concert at the RCA Dome on April 7, the day before White’s death. He performed “Daniel,” “I’m Still Standing” and “Candle in the Wind,” dedicating the last song to White.
