Sir Elton John's 2010 post-Oscars AIDS Foundation party was a hit - the singer raised a massive $3.7 million in just a few hours at the lavish star-studded bash.

The Rocket Man hitmaker and his partner David Furnish invited a host of celebrities, including Betty White, Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham, to attend the 18th annual celebration, which raises money for the fight against AIDS.

After a lavish dinner and a performance by Grace Jones, guests were invited to participate in a live auction, where John sold the costume he wore at the Grammy Awards in January for $30,000 and a watch from his collection for $90,000.

Also up for grabs was a photo of U.S. President Barack Obama at college, which sold for $60,000, and private tennis lessons from Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff, which raised $70,000.

The generous host also took in $140,000 by auctioning off a week-long stay at his home in Nice, France.

He said, "I'm so blown away this year. We're supposedly struggling though a recession and yet it keeps getting better every year."