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Paris Hilton is stepping up to help those impacted by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
On Friday (Jan. 10), the 43-year-old Simple Life alum announced on social media that she is launching an emergency fund through her nonprofit 11:11 Media Impact to support families who have lost their homes in the fires.
“My heart is with everyone impacted by the devastating fires here in LA,” Hilton wrote on Instagram. “While I’ve lost my Malibu home, my thoughts are with the countless families who have lost so much more — their homes, cherished keepsakes, the communities they loved, and their sense of stability.”
The singer and entrepreneur added, “As a mom, I can’t imagine the pain and fear of not having a safe place for your babies.”
She went on to announce that she is personally contributing $100,000 to the fund and will match additional donations up to $100,000. “I’m asking others to join me in doing our part to support these families,” she wrote.
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Hilton is working alongside L.A.-based emergency relief organization CORE, founded by Sean Penn and Ann Lee. The funds will provide short-term housing, hotel stays for displaced families, essentials for evacuation centers, and support for local animal shelters.
Hilton’s charitable effort comes shortly after she watched her Malibu home burn down live on TV. On Wednesday (Jan. 8), she posted a heartfelt message on Instagram: “Heartbroken beyond words. Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience. This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London.”
She continued, “While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family and pets are safe. My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires. To all the people who have lost their homes, their memories, and their beloved pets. My heartaches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses. The devastation is unimaginable.”
Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, Grammy-nominated singer and prominent booster of orange juice and other products who became known over the second half of her life for her outspoken opposition to gay rights, has died. She was 84.
Bryant died Dec. 16 at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, according to a statement posted by her family to news site The Oklahoman on Thursday. The family did not list a cause of death.
Bryant was a Barnsdall native who began singing at an early age, and was just 12 when she hosted her own local television show. She was named Miss Oklahoma in 1958 and soon began a successful recording career. Her hit singles included “Till There Was You” (from the Broadway musical The Music Man), “Paper Roses” (a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100), and “In My Little Corner of the World” (a top 10 hit on the Hot 100). A lifelong Christian, she received two Grammy nominations for best sacred performance (for Abide With Me and “How Great Thou Art”) and one for best inspirational performance, for Anita Bryant … Naturally.
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By the late 1960s, she was among the entertainers joining Bob Hope on his USO tours for troops overseas, had sung at the White House and performed at the national conventions for both the Democrats and Republicans in 1968. She also became a highly visible commercial spokesperson, her ads for Florida orange juice featuring the tag line, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
But in the late 1970s, her life and career began a dramatically new path. Unhappy with the cultural changes of the time, Bryant led a successful campaign to repeal an ordinance in Florida’s Miami-Dade County that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Supported by the Rev. Jerry Falwell among others, Bryant and her “Save Our Children” coalition continued to oppose gay rights around the country, denouncing the “deviant lifestyle” of the gay community and calling gays “human garbage.”
Bryant became the object of much criticism in return. Activists organized boycotts against products she endorsed, designed T-shirts mocking her and named a drink for her — a variation of the screwdriver that replaced orange juice with apple juice. During an appearance in Iowa, an activist jammed a pie in her face. Her career in entertainment declined, her marriage to her first husband, Bob Green, broke up, and she later filed for bankruptcy.
In Florida, her legacy was challenged and perpetuated. The ban against sexual discrimination was restored in 1998. Tom Lander, an LGBTQ+ activist and board member of the advocacy group Safe Schools South Florida, told The Associated Press on Friday (Jan. 10), “She won the campaign, but she lost the battle in time.” But Lander also acknowledged the “parental rights” movement, which has spurred a recent wave book bannings and anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Florida led by such conservative organizations as Moms Against Liberty.
“It’s so connected to what’s happening today,” Lander said.
Bryant spent the latter part of her life in Oklahoma, where she led Anita Bryant Ministries International. Her second husband, NASA test astronaut Charles Hobson Dry, died last year. According to her family’s statement, she is survived by four children, two stepdaughters and seven grandchildren.
Sam Moore, half of the seminal duo Sam & Dave, died Friday (Jan. 10) in Coral Gables, Fla. The cause of death was complications from surgery. He was 89.
Moore, who was revered by artists including Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Garth Brooks and Jon Bon Jovi, had an instantly recognizable tenor, first heard on such call-and-response classics as Sam & Dave’s 1960s hits “Hold On, I’m Coming” and the Grammy-winning “Soul Man,” both of which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, as well as “I Thank You” and “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby.” The duo, who performed at Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial concert at Madison Square Garden following his assassination in 1968, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 by Billy Joel.
Moore, who grew up in Miami, began singing in church and drew the attention of another legendary Sam, Sam Cooke, who wanted Moore to replace him in his gospel group The Soul Stirrers. However, after seeing Jackie Wilson perform, Moore shifted from gospel to pop and was performing at the King O’Hearts Club when he met Dave Prater and the two formed Sam & Dave.
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Legendary Atlantic Records executives Ahmet Ertegun, Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler saw the pair at the King O’Hearts Club and signed them to the label in 1965. Wexler passed them to Atlantic’s southern partner, Stax Records, where Isaac Hayes and David Porter took them under their wing and produced their iconic hits.
Following Sam & Dave’s breakup in 1970, Moore signed to Atlantic as a solo artist. He recorded a solo album produced by King Curtis featuring Donnie Hathaway and Aretha Franklin. However, after Curtis was murdered in 1971, the album was shelved. He reunited with Dave for a few years, but spiraled into heroin addiction, which was chronicled in the DA Pennebaker/Chris Hegedus documentary Only the Strong Survive.
Interest in the duo was greatly revived by 1980’s The Blues Brothers movie, starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. The pair’s main theme was their boisterous version of “Soul Man.”
The song “turned out to be an anthem, sort of like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind” or one of those,” Moore told the Library of Congress in a 2002 interview when “Soul Man” was added to the Library’s National Recording Registry. “And, I tell you, it doesn’t matter where I sing — perform it — at the end of the night; if we didn’t do ‘Soul Man, the room would go up in smoke!”
Moore also shared how he and Prater worked out how to trade verses, with the help of Hayes. “By me at that time being the dominate one — and I’m not bragging here — I always sang the high parts,” he said in the same interview. “We went back with Isaac and he took us back and forth [with the verses]. Isaac was like, ‘Sam, try something like this.’ I remember him saying, ‘We want it bright. Not a dull opening.’ That’s why you hear all the high. Isaac was the one that suggested that.”
In the early ‘80s, Moore became sober with the help of Joyce McRae, whom he married in 1982 and who became his manager.
Moore went on to perform for six U.S. presidents — Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump — and was a frequent performer at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Springsteen asked Moore to perform on his 1992 Human Touch album, as well as Only the Strong Survive, his 2023 album of soul covers.
Moore recovered his lost 1970 album, Plenty Good Loving, and released it in 2002 via EMI. “I met Sam and his wife, Joyce, when I was in my 20s and working for Rhino Records, who reissued the classic Sam & Dave albums,” says Exceleration Music creative director David Gorman, who was instrumental in the album finally seeing daylight. “Drooling fanboy that I was, I showed up to our first meeting holding a 45 and asking for his autograph. The 45 was his solo single ‘If I Should Lose Your Love.’ When he picked it up, his jaw dropped because he had completely forgotten that he ever made a solo record at all. Over dinner, his memories came flooding back and he remembered making an entire album but had no recollection around its fate. As soon as I got back to LA, I asked [mastering engineer] Bill Inglot if it really existed and within a few days he’d found the tapes and sent over a CD-R. It was brilliant. Sam, Joyce, and I worked together to find a new home for the solo album nobody remembered making.”
Four years later, Moore released his first new album in 30 years, Overnight Sensational, which featured Bon Jovi, Sting, Springsteen and Billy Preston, with whom he received a Grammy nomination for their duet of “You Are So Beautiful.”
In 2019, Moore and Prater received the Recording Academy’s highest honor, its Lifetime Achievement Award.
In his later years, in addition to continuing to perform, Moore became an artists’ advocate, including testifying in Congress on behalf of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act, which would pay performers for radio airplay.
“His loss is deep,” Gorman says. “He was a force of joy as a human being, who lit up everyone around him. As an artist he had the explosive ability to work a crowd out — even Otis [Redding] feared following Sam & Dave on stage — but I found Sam’s genius alone with his records, especially the ballads. Sam’s cries, his knowing asides, the way would use time as a weapon to hit you when it would hurt or heal the most, gave me comfort and companionship in ways no other artist could. He could turn up the tempo and turn up the heat, but his slow-burn just couldn’t be touched. He was a master, the last of his kind.”
At the time of his death, Moore was working on a gospel album with Rudy Perez. He is survived by Joyce, daughter Michelle and grandchildren Tash and Misha.
Los Angeles County remains in the throes of massive wildfires that began in various locations starting Tuesday (Jan. 7), leading to the displacement of more than 180,000 residents. The wildfires have reportedly destroyed thousands of properties and claimed 10 lives as first responders continue to battle the flames throughout the region.
More and more organizations are stepping up to collect funds and provide resources for those impacted by the disasters. Below is an updating list of ways to help residents, first responders and members of the city’s music community.
Music workers looking for relief can navigate here for additional resources.
Support for Families and Outdoor Workers
Inclusive Action has launched a GoFundMe to provide cash relief for outdoor workers impacted by wildfires. The emergency aid fund will provide $500 in cash assistance directly to “open-air workers,” i.e. people whose jobs require them to work outside, including street vendors, landscapers and recyclers.
This Is About Humanity has launched a fund supporting front and second-line migrant farm workers, day laborers, and other essential workers and their families severely impacted by the recent fires in Los Angeles. Through Jan. 31, TIAH is matching up to $50,000 in donations to provide critical relief, housing support, food assistance and essential resources.
The LAUSD Education Emergency Relief Fund is providing immediate assistance to families and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) employees affected by the devastating fires. The fund will offer direct cash assistance and support to families and employees affected by the fires; support teachers and in-class resources for students at impacted schools, ensuring continuity of learning to the greatest extent possible; provide flexible assistance for mental health support; and offer support for other immediate and long-term needs for students, families and teachers.
Support for First Responders
Donations to the LA Fire Department Foundation will go to supporting the heroic firefighters responding in real-time to protect lives, homes and communities.
The CA Fire Foundation is working with local fire agencies and community-based organizations to provide direct financial support to impacted residents as details of the damage emerge. The California Fire Foundation also provides critical support to surviving families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they serve.
Essential Items for Families in Need
Baby2Baby is providing essential supplies like diapers, clothing, hygiene products and emergency kits to families in need through hundreds of their community partners.
World Central Kitchen is supporting first responders and families impacted by wildfires in the Los Angeles area with sandwiches and warm meals.
Mutual Aid LA Network is continually working to compile an extensive list of organizations offering assistance and accepting donations through this spreadsheet.
Support for Music Professionals
The Recording Academy and MusiCares have launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis and made a combined pledge of $1 million to kick off a fundraising effort. You can donate here.
The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has launched a natural disaster relief fund for music professionals in Los Angeles County and the surrounding areas. Funds raised will go to help those recoup the loss of music-related equipment as well as medical bills related to the fires and other vital living expenses. Head here to donate or fill out an application.
The We Are Moving the Needle Microgrants Wildfire Relief Fund is designed to support “early and mid-career producers, engineers, and creators who have lost studio space or gear” in the wildfires. Those wishing to donate can go here.
The 100 Percenters has launched an LA Wildfire Relief Fundraiser to benefit professional songwriters, producers, artists and music professionals “with verifiable industry contributions” who reside “in wildfire-impacted areas” in Los Angeles County and “can demonstrate wildfire-related loss and financial need.” The fund will provide immediate financial assistance with grants up to $2,500 for housing, transportation and essentials; support rebuilding efforts with grants of up to $10,000 to replace equipment and “restore creative spaces”; and offer mental health support with grants of up to $2,000 for counseling and wellness services. Donate here.
Mid/Long-Term Relief
California Community Foundation‘s Wildlife Recovery Fund focuses on mid-term and long-term recovery efforts for those affected by the fires.
Pasadena Community Foundation‘s Eaton Canyon Fire Recovery and Relief Fund is mobilizing local resources to support resilience and immediate and long-term recovery initiatives in the L.A. County cities of Pasadena and Altadena.
The PLUS1LA Fires Fund will help local nonprofits offering shelter and care to those who have lost their homes, including PPE to prevent smoke inhalation, food, clothing, diapers, formula, hygiene items and mental health support to help those coping with trauma. Over the long term, it will support efforts to help individuals, families, communities and the environment recover from the destruction.
Mandy Moore, one of the thousands of people who lost their homes as catastrophic fires continue to blaze across Los Angeles, is hitting back at critics who shamed her for posting a GoFundMe page for her in-laws whose home was also destroyed.
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“Yesterday, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Griff & Kit lost their home and everything they own in the Eaton Fire,” Moore explained in the caption. “With their first baby on the way in a matter of weeks, they need our support now more than ever. Griff is a touring musician and also lost his entire arsenal of drums/percussion he uses to make a living. It’s all so much. So many have asked how to help during this unimaginable and stressful time…Please consider donating and sharing to help them rebuild.”
She then responded to people who indicated that she should just donate her own money to her in-laws, citing a Celebrity Net Worth statistic found online. “People questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money Google says someone has is NOT helpful or empathetic,” Moore added. “Of course we are. Our buddy Matt started this GoFundMe and I’m sharing because people have asked how they can help them. We just lost most of our life in a fire too. Kindly F OFF. No one is forcing you to do anything.”
See her post here.
The campaign initially sought to raise $60,000 but has since raised $176,000 and counting.
Moore has been sharing her personal experience amid the fires over the past week. “I love you, Altadena. Grateful for my family and pets getting out last night before it was too late (and endless gratitude to friends for taking us in and bringing us clothes and blankets),” she wrote on Wednesday (Jan. 8) alongside videos of her neighborhood, engulfed in smoke and flames. “Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too. Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control.”
She posted another series of photos the next day, this time from her property, much of which destroyed. “We were able to park and walk up our street to bear witness to all the loss. Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing,” she wrote. “For now. It’s not livable but mostly intact.”
Moore continued, “Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. My in laws. My brother and sister in law- 6 weeks from welcoming their first baby. Our best friends. Feeling weird survivors guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support.”
There’s a reason why Ferg decided to take A$AP out of his name. The Harlem rapper sat down for a conversation with veteran rap journalist Touré on his podcast and when asked about the status of A$AP Mob, Ferg had an interesting answer. “Well, I don’t think there is A$AP anymore,” Ferg said. “There’s not […]
In our Latin Remix of the Week series, we spotlight remixes that the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors deem exceptional and distinct. We might not publish a review every week. This is our selection today. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Karen y Los Remedios became a captivating revelation in Latin indie with […]
Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome is set to host a benefit concert to help rebuild the communities affected by the devastating fires raging across the city. FIREAID, advertised as “an evening of music and solidarity,” will take place on Jan. 30.
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Ticket information and performers will be announced in the coming days.
The event, produced by the Azoff family alongside Live Nation and AEG Presents, donate proceeds toward an organization created to rebuild Los Angeles infrastructure, as well as support displaced families and advance fire prevention technologies and strategies.
The catastrophic fires started earlier this week in the Pacific Palisades on the west side of Los Angeles, and quickly spread to other areas over the next few days, including Altadena, Studio City and Runyon Canyon. As of Friday, most of the fires were not contained and new ones, including one in Granada Hills, continued to ignite.
Estimates are that up to 350,000 people have been evacuated with more than 9,000 structures destroyed. The fires are among the costliest natural disasters in the United States, with estimated damages to be up to $57 billion, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The music industry has been hard hit with more than 100 executives and artists losing their homes. Several have noted their losses on social media, including attorney Laurie Soriano and publicists Kim Grant and Lesley Zimmerman, as well as Zachary Cole Smith of the L.A. band DIIV. A document with more than 120 names of those who have lost their homes has been circulating with links to GoFundMe accounts for those who have set them up.
Additionally, a number of other resources are available for those who have lost their homes or need assistance in other ways. MusiCares and the Recording Academy have launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, making a combined pledge of $1 million to kick off the efforts. People who have worked in the music industry for more than five years may qualify for immediate assistance, including up to $1,500 in financial aid and $500 in food vouchers.
Ye — formerly Kanye West — has made cameos in films before, but he’s in the director’s chair now. West teased the first edition of his Vultures The Movie with the trailer arriving on Friday (Jan. 10). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Yeezy posted the one-minute […]
The first full music-release week of 2025 has officially arrived, bringing with it fresh releases from Teddy Swims, Lil Baby and more hitmakers to start the new year off right. Following a dominant year in 2024 thanks to his Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Lose Control,” Swims has returned this year with a new track titled […]
