STEVIE NICKS - NICKS ASKS FAMOUS FRIENDS AND FANS TO GIVE IPODS TO TROOPS

NICKS ASKS FAMOUS FRIENDS AND FANS TO GIVE IPODS TO TROOPS

STEVIE NICKS launched her charity drive to provide iPods to wounded and maimed US troops last night (09NOV06) - with a little help from her famous friends. The FLEETWOOD MAC star has founded The Stevie Nicks Soldier Angel Foundation and used famed rock photographer pal NEAL PRESTON's new exhibition at Los Angeles' Morrison Hotel Gallery to spread the word. NEIL DIAMOND, HEART siblings ANN and NANCY WILSON, movie maker CAMERON CROWE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS frontman ANTHONY KIEDIS and rocker KEITH EMERSON were among the famous faces who attended Nicks' charity party, which coincided with the preview of Preston's latest show. Nicks explained she came up with the idea for her new foundation after visiting rehabilitating soldiers in Washington DC's military hospitals two years ago (04). She said, "You're in a room with about 25 to 40 soldiers who have all been left without limbs and you're told that this young guy has lost both his legs and all his friends were killed by a bomb. It changed me forever. "They have prosthetic limbs and many of them need two years of rehab. You can't imagine how expensive this is. I left thinking, `What can I do?' I can't exactly take my guitar, which I play very badly, and play for them. "So I'm asking people to give me money for iPods and I'm going to fill them with my favourite songs and I'll take the iPods with me every time I go back and the music will help them with their rehabilitation. It makes them happy." Nicks admits her first visits to the hospitals were "heartwrenching" and she spent a lot of time crying, but now she just wants to offer the wounded soldiers as much hope as possible. She adds, "I'm very attached and I will follow their progress to the end of my life." Generous Preston donated the night's proceeds from all sales of his photographs, which featured famous shots of Nicks, to the cause. He said, "Stevie spends a lot of time with these soldiers and what she's doing is really angelic."