LONDON, Sept 18: Veteran singer Elton John has issued a gracious response after learning he had been the victim of a prank call in which he was fooled into thinking he had spoken with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier this week, the 68-year-old musician accepted a call from someone he believed to be Putin but it was actually a hoax from TV presenters Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov, with one playing Putin and another translating his remarks, reported Guardian online.
And after learning he had been the victim of a prank, John – who is married to David Furnish – has stressed he is still keen to speak to the premier about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in a gracious response to the gag.
“Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny. I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against,” he said.
The pranksters aired a recording of the conversation on state TV, before publishing it on YouTube.
They said they couldn’t resist calling John after the singer recently said he would love to discuss the issue with Putin. (PTI)
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