Dionne Warwick Recalls Becoming 'Very Vocal' About AIDS Crisis in the '80s: 'I Did What I Could Do'

Dionne Warwick's "That's What Friends Are For" was released as a charity single to benefit AIDS research and prevention amid the epidemic's initial height in 1985 — and made a huge impact, raising over $3 million for the cause.

In a clip from CNN Films' upcoming documentary DIONNE WARWICK: Don't Make Me Over shared exclusively with PEOPLE, the legendary musician tells the story behind the hit song alongside amfAR HIV/AIDS research advocate Kevin Frost and Elton John, who sang on the track alongside Warwick, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.

"I became very, very vocal and very public with the AIDS issue based on the fact that we were losing many people," says Warwick, 82, who released "That's What Friends Are For" four years after AIDS was discovered in the United States for the first time, in the clip. "Something gotta be done."

John then details the significance of her raising her voice about the disease at the time. "Dionne was definitely a hero of mine and a hero to a lot of people," says the 75-year-old "Rocket Man" musician. "She was really the first person in the music business to really speak up about it."

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Larry Busacca/Getty Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Dionne Warwick

"The royalties for 'That's What Friends Are For' changed the trajectory of the epidemic in America," adds Frost of the song, which spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and earned two Grammy Awards for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals and song of the year.

Looking back, Warwick says, "I did what I could do, and that's the way I move to this very day."

Directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, DIONNE WARWICK: Don't Make Me Over will explore the musician's life, career and work as an outspoken advocate for racial justice, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

"Working on DIONNE WARWICK: Don't Make Me Over has been a true labor of love," said Wooley in a press statement. "We wanted to make a film that people wouldn't just see… We wanted viewers to feel transported. This is the story of a transformational, global icon."

In addition to John, Frost and the titular subject, the film will feature interviews with Warwick's sons Damon and David Elliott as well as Knight, Burt Bacharach, Clive Davis, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Barry Gibb, Berry Gordy, Cissy Houston, Quincy Jones, Alicia Keys, Melissa Manchester, Smokey Robinson, Carlos Santana, Valerie Simpson, former President Bill Clinton, designer Kenneth Cole, Rev. Jesse Jackson and the late Olivia Newton-John.

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"That's What Friends Are For" is one of many songs, including "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?," "Alfie," "Heartbreaker" and "I Say A Little Prayer," among others, that will be discussed at-length in the documentary.

"Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner have created a beautiful tribute that shows the enduring impact of Dionne Warwick," said executive vice president for talent and content development for CNN Worldwide, Amy Entelis, in a press statement. "Her trailblazing, humanitarian legacy extends beyond her exquisite songbook, and she's had a lasting cultural influence."

DIONNE WARWICK: Don't Make Me Over is set to premiere on CNN at 9 p.m. ET and PT on Sunday, Jan. 1.