Stars affected by violence join gun-reform rallies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Amy Schumer and other stars played supporting roles at nationwide gun-reform rallies dominated by teenage survivors’ emotional speeches.
Still, the protests were deeply personal for some of the celebrities involved.
Jennifer Hudson, who performed “The Times They Are A Changin’” to cap Saturday’s March for Our Lives rally in Washington, alluded to the shooting deaths of her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in 2008.
“We’ve all lost somebody . ... We’ve all got a purpose. And we want what? We want change,” she said, encouraging the vast crowd to join her in song.
McCartney said his decision to take part in the New York City rally was prompted by the 1980 Manhattan shooting death of John Lennon, his former Beatles bandmate.
“One of my best friends was killed in gun violence, right ‘round here, so it’s important to me,” McCartney told CNN.