SINGER Annie Lennox has described how her devotion to charity work was inspired by the stillbirth of her son 20 years ago.

In an interview for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, to be aired today, the former Eurythmics star reveals how the tragedy made her realise the fragility of human life and spurred her on to become an ambassador for causes such as world poverty.

Lennox, 53, who has two teenage daughters, lost her son, Daniel, in 1988. She has since become renowned for her charity work and support for organisations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.She also recently launched her own charitable foundation to help women in Africa to escape poverty and tackle the Aids epidemic. Last year she released a charity record, Sing, on World Aids Day.

“[The stillbirth] had an immense impact on me,” said Lennox. “It made me realise that the human condition is immensely fragile and strong. “At the same time as I lost my son, thousands of people died in a village in Turkey after an earthquake. Curiously enough, I identified with those people.

“It made me realise that life truly is temporary and when I hear about people's tragedies I so empathise with them.”