The show closed with a moving harmony of Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Andrea Bocelli and John Legend performing Dion and Bocelli's 1999 hit duet "The Prayer," as renowned concert pianist Lang Lang accompanied. "And please join our call for a global ceasefire to focus on our common enemy - the virus." "Tonight, through the universal language of music, we salute the bravery and sacrifice of health heroes and others," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a clip played during the broadcast. Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan and Nigerian singer Burna Boy were among the participants in the event that included former US first ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush as well as media personality and philanthropist Oprah.īritish actor Idris Elba - who was diagnosed with and recovered from coronavirus - also took part. None other than Queen Bey herself joined in to thank "true heroes" who are "away from their families, taking care of ours."īeyonce, a Houston native, also emphasized that the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is disproportionately affecting black Americans, who make up a large part of "essential parts of the workforce that do not have the luxury of working from home," she said. In addition to performances - McCartney played "Lady Madonna," as Lizzo belted out a powerful version of "A Change Is Gonna Come" - the event highlighted the efforts of essential workers worldwide, including medical personnel and those delivering food and sanitary products to vulnerable populations. Prior to the event Global Citizen began urging philanthropists, companies and governments to support the WHO in its coronavirus response efforts, saying it has raised $35 million for local organizations and the international health body's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. They also planned it as a "rallying cry" to support health workers, while coronavirus has at least 4.5 billion people forced or urged to stay home. Global Citizen intended the primetime event broadcast on major television networks worldwide - and hosted by American late-night television personalities Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert - not as a fundraiser but as a moment of unity through song. Mick Jagger also appeared ageless despite his 76 years as he delivered the classic "You Can't Always Get What You Want," as his fellow Stones played from their respective homes, including a grinning Charlie Watts on the air drumsĪlso at her piano Swift played the vulnerable "Soon You'll Get Better," which the pop phenom wrote about her mother's struggles with cancer. Sitting at his home piano Wonder, who turns 70 next month, played "Lean On Me" before launching into his own "Love's In Need Of Love Today" in his singular crystal-clear voice. Stevie Wonder then wowed with a tribute to the late soul legend Bill Withers. "What I'd like to do tonight, if I can, is just give you the permission to, for a moment - smile," she said as she broke into a rendition of Nat King Cole's "Smile."