Sir Elton John shared his concern that younger generations have become complacent about the dangers of HIV on Monday while attending his annual HIV fund-raising gala in New York City.

"We are finding that too many young people are not listening to what we are saying," John told BBC’s Radio 1's Newsbeat, “I'm afraid people do get a little complacent about the disease by going out and having unsafe sex.”

John, who arrived with partner David Furnish, had not made a public appearance since falling ill with the flu and an E. coli bacterial infection in early November.

This year the Elton John AIDS Foundation honored former president Bill Clinton and Sharon Stone for their HIV activism.

Among those in attendance were Anderson Cooper, Tony Bennett, and Daniel Craig.

The read more coverage of the event, click here.