Nile Rodgers has revealed the loss of three close friends in the 9/11 attacks inspired him to found his charity.
The 72-year-old musician runs the We Are Family Foundation and was speaking ahead of a performance at the Soho Sessions in New York when he made the revelation.
He told the crowd: “Three of my friends were on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center.”
One of them, he said, was photographer Berry Berenson, the widow of Psycho star Anthony Perkins.
Nile had lived next door to the couple in Greenwich Village.
He added: “I wanted to be involved with something that I thought would be effective.”
Founded in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the We Are Family Foundation was established by Nile and his longtime partner Nancy Hunt.
The organisation focuses on supporting and mentoring activists under the age of 30.
Since its inception, the charity has funded over a dozen schools across countries including Mali, Malawi, Nicaragua and Nepal.
It is also currently supporting a reforestation project in Ireland aimed at offsetting the carbon footprint of Rodgers’ touring band.
Nile, best known for co-founding Chic alongside Bernard Edwards, rose to fame in the late 1970s with a series of chart-topping hits such as Le Freak and Good Times.
After Chic disbanded, he became a prolific producer and songwriter, working with high-profile artists including Madonna, Diana Ross, Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Mick Jagger.
Despite his wide-reaching collaborations, Nile admitted he holds a particular affection for the late David Bowie, with whom he worked on the 1983 album Let’s Dance.
He said: “David really saved me at a time when the whole industry sort of turned against us. We were making nothing but number one records, one right after the other, and then this whole ‘Disco Sucks’ thing happened.
“And because we didn’t exist before disco, we were totally associated with disco.”
Nile’s performance in New York was to an intimate crowd at the Soho Sessions.
Among the attendees were Elvis Costello, Gina Gershon, Steve Buscemi, Don Lemon, Christopher Meloni and Michelle Buteau.
The Soho Sessions, founded by Greg Williamson and Nicole Rechter, brings musicians together in a small Lower Manhattan venue to perform and raise awareness for causes close to their hearts.
