An Absent Paul McCartney Honored at Angel Ball

President Bill Clinton, Senator-elect Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, members of 'N Sync, Marc Anthony and actor Gabriel Byrne were among the slew of luminaries gathered Thursday at the New York Marriott Marquis for the Angel Ball, a benefit held to raise money for cancer research. Sponsored by the G&P Foundation, the Angel Ball honored Queen Noor of Jordan with the Angel of Light Award, Mikhail Gorbachev with the Angel of Peace Award and Sir Paul McCartney with the Angel of Hope Award. McCartney did not attend, and was rumored to be holed up in a London recording studio.

A number of the guests took to the stage to offer their insights into cancer research before the crowd of 1,800, members of whom ponied upwards of $1,200 a head for the G&P Foundation to utilize for its leukemia and lymphoma prevention research. Hillary Clinton offered a short speech promising to pledge more money for cancer research when she assumes her Senate seat.

Offstage, the principals had more room to discuss their thoughts on the evening's honors and the need for further cancer research.

"I'm involved. I think everyone wants to fight cancer," Anthony said in the press room before the event. "[Songwriter and G&P Foundation co-founder] Denise Rich is a great friend of mine, she wrote a song, 'Remember Me,' in memory of her daughter [Gabrielle Rich Aouad, who died of leukemia at age 27] and I had the honor of recording it, and I'll be performing it here tonight. I'm here for many reasons, first and foremost to support the cause and to support my friend."

"Aside from the importance for raising money for researching cancer, my very personal reason is my best friend had cervical cancer about a year ago, and she died very quickly, leaving an eight-year-old son behind," Byrne told reporters. "She was an amazing wonderful woman . . . I was actually in Paris at a dinner three years ago, and three women who were at that table are dead of cancer. When you think about the amount of money they spend on arms, investment and military equipment, I think there will be a time when the money spent on that should be spent on something essential like cancer research."

Byrne was interrupted as a herd of photographers hurdled out of the room like bloodhounds on a hunt as word of a Michael Jackson spotting spread. Jackson's visit to the photo room was nixed by the screaming and flashing of cameras. Though Jackson's visit to the photo room was nixed by the screaming and flashing of cameras, other celebrities such as Lance Bass from 'N Sync, Joan Collins, Jane Seymour and Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall were unaffected by the press frenzy and posed without incident.

P.J. GACH
(December 2, 2000)