All-Star Support for onePulse Hollywood Benefit

A star-studded benefit was held over the weekend at NeueHouse in Hollywood, hosted by the onePulse Foundation to help those affected by the mass shooting that took place at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Celebrities, industry powerhouses and advocates came together to honor those lives lost and families torn apart.

will.i.am, from left, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and Lance Bass at onePULSE Benefit. (Photos by Dan Steinberg/Invision for onePulse Foundation/AP Images)

Host Lance Bass reminisced about the nights he spent dancing the night away at Pulse. “Pulse was a place where you could dance freely and safely without the fear of being judged,” he said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti emphasized the similarities between Orlando and Los Angeles: “In our cities, we don’t care where you come from, the color of your skin, who you worship, or who you love. We were all attacked because we all belong to this country where we are free to be who we are.”

A video message from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expressed her support for the LGBTQ community and stand against gun violence.

“We can’t ever let hate and violence break our spirit … Together we will fight for the right of every American to live freely, openly, and without fear no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love. We will take commonsense steps to reduce gun violence and do everything we can to make sure what happened in Orlando doesn’t ever happen again. I’m proud to stand with the LGBTQ community.”

The room stood in silence as will.i.am went off script to speak from the heart.

“It’s important for us who chose to be here to continue to not forget,” he said. “We cannot forget because the families who lost loved ones, it happened just yesterday to them.”

Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma was joined by some of the survivors, remembering the night of the tragedy and stressing how overwhelmed she was with the outpouring of support.

“It wasn’t until the aftermath of the tragedy that I realized many of our goals had not only been reached, but also exceeded beyond my expectations,” she said. “I was overwhelmed by the thousands of Pulse stories people around the world shared with me: the love stories, the funny stories, and the life-changing coming-out stories.”

A surprise performance by 25-time Grammy® Award winner Stevie Wonder, singing “More Than a Love Song,” was followed by his words on the power of love and hate.

“By remembering that every time we hate someone, we’re also hating God, Allah, or whatever your religion may be, because I believe that we all must come together to put an end to this,” he said. “Hate means more hate, but love plus love is the key.”

Vocal powerhouse Jessie J brought the house down as she performed her song “Who You Are,” followed an emotional rendition of her hit single “Domino,” before an ad lib to the rhythm of the tune.

“Thank you for being so brave, thank you for not giving up … All we need is love and hope and freedom. I pray for hope. I pray for change.”

To support the cause, text PULSE to 91999. For more about the foundation, click here http://www.onepulsefoundation.org.