Larry Ellison Donates $200 Million at Rebels With a Cause

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner/AB Images

Oracle founder and Chairman Larry Ellison announced a $200 million gift to the University of Southern California to establish the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC during the third biennial Rebels With a Cause gala on Wednesday.

After an introduction by the event’s Honorary Co-Chair, C .L. Max Nikias, President of the University of Southern California, Ellison, who currently serves as Oracle Corporation’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer said, “Tonight I’m announcing a gift of $200 million to the University of Southern California to build an interdisciplinary center for cancer research headed by Dr. David Agus.  The new Institute will invite mathematicians, physicists and other scientists to collaborate with cancer researchers from the traditional disciplines of medicine and biology.  We believe the interdisciplinary approach will yield up new insights currently hidden in existing patient data.”

The event also honored Dr. Cheryl and Haim Saban and benefitted the groundbreaking research led by David B. Agus, MD, Director of the USC Norris Westside Cancer Center and the Center of Applied Molecular Medicine (CAMM) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Photo Credit: http://hauteliving.com/2015/09/whats-haute-london-calling/584771/?market=los-angeles

500 luminaries attended the groundbreaking event, which was held at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, including Jane Fonda, Jon Feltheimer, Edward Zwick, Cassandra Grey, Julianne Hough, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christina Aguilera and Scooter Braun. 

David Ellison, CEO and Founder of Skydance Media, who co-chaired the event with wife, singer Sandy, took to the stage to welcome guests and supporters for the largest Rebels event to date, and also introduced the first entertainer of the evening, British-born singer/songwriter Leona Lewis, who performed her hit single “Fire Under My Feet.” (Let it be said that the evening’s entertainment was on point thanks to the fact that David Foster, a sixteen-time Grammy Award winner, returned as Musical Director.)

Entertainment continued with comedian and late night host James Corden of The Late Late Show, who performed an original song and parody, “My Breakup with Cancer.”

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner/AB Images

The evening continued with a stirring rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Emmy and Tony winning actress and singer Kristen Chenoweth, who dedicated the song to Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland, who was in the audience and is a cancer survivor.

Dr. Agus returned to the stage and presented the 2016 Rebels With A Cause award to Dr. Cheryl and Haim Saban.  In accepting the award, the Sabans noted, “Dr. Agus and his team are trailblazers in the fight against cancer, and we are thrilled with the overwhelming support this year’s gala generated for their innovative, groundbreaking research.  We are honored to join him in the fight against this horrible disease and look forward to the positive and life-changing impact his research will have for generations to come.”

The program portion of the evening ended on a high note with Grammy Award winning singer Christina Aguilera performing her hits, “Beautiful” and “Fighter” to a standing ovation.