Elton John remembers Aretha Franklin at his annual AIDS gala

Nwhere we are today. We’ve raised over $430 million worldwide. We’ve been responsible with matching funds worldwide over a billion dollars. That’s pretty amazing for a small organization like us. And we’ve survived,” John said from the carpet

“Our motto is, no one gets left behind,” he said. “If you leave people behind, you’re never gonna win.”

The evening was hosted by “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King. Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative was the guest speaker. He made a passionate plea to reach out to people in places you have traditionally avoided.

The evening’s honorees included the Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker, Joe McMillan of the real estate investment firm DDG and philanthropist Patricia Hearst.

The granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, she is known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the terrorist group the Symbionese Liberation Army. Hearst spoke briefly on the red carpet.

“This is really the only organization that right now I would do this for. Because I do prefer to just be behind the scenes. This isn’t a big ego moment for me. This is something very special, and that’s why I agreed to be honored,” Hearst said.

The night closed with a performance by Sheryl Crow.