Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge and Jackson Browne are confirmed to perform at the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Gala on Oct. 27, 2026, at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, City of Hope announced. The evening will honor Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music, and support a campaign tied to City of Hope’s cellular immunotherapy work.
The lineup brings three veteran artists to a single charity stage in late October — a scheduling and fundraising win for City of Hope. The organization says the campaign will raise money for CAR T cell therapy and other cellular immunotherapies, and that a portion of proceeds will go toward breast cancer research and patient care. Etheridge, who is part of the bill, framed her appearance in personal terms: "As a breast cancer survivor, this cause is deeply personal to me," she said, adding, "I know how critical research, compassionate care and breakthrough treatments are for patients and families facing cancer."
City of Hope launched Mestel’s Spirit of Life campaign earlier in 2026; the gala is the campaign’s marquee industry event. The hospital and research center has positioned the fundraising around next-generation cancer treatments — CAR T and related cellular therapies that reprogram a patient’s immune cells to attack tumors — while also directing some funding to conventional breast cancer research and patient services.
The decision to single out Mestel — a music executive rather than a medical leader — as the gala honoree is central to the night’s tone. The campaign carries his name and the gala will celebrate his ties to the entertainment community even as it raises money for clinical science and patient care. That blend of celebrity recognition and biomedical fundraising is common in high-profile galas, but it also highlights a tension here: an arts industry celebration will supply visibility and donors for treatments whose development and distribution are squarely inside medical institutions.
Practical details for attendees and supporters were included in the announcement: the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Gala takes place Oct. 27 at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. City of Hope directs interested parties to CityofHope.org/mfei for more information on tickets, sponsorships and the broader Mestel campaign. Etheridge said she was "honored to join City of Hope, Larry and this incredible community during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to help raise support for lifesaving research and bring more hope to people navigating this disease."
What the initial announcement does not say is how much City of Hope expects the gala and the Mestel campaign to raise — the single most consequential missing figure. The dollar target will determine whether the assembled star power and industry honors translate into measurable new funding for CAR T work and for breast cancer research and patient care; the answer will become public as City of Hope moves closer to the Oct. 27 event and reports results from the campaign.
