Last night, the stars aligned for the third Stand Up To Cancer Telethon.
The commercial-free, live event raised money to support cancer research, adding to the $180 million Stand Up To Cancer has raised over the past four years, $100 million of that from the first telecast alone.
This was the first airing since co-founder Laura Ziskin lost her own battle with the disease in 2011.
In a video tribute to Ziskin, actors Tobey Maguire and Emma Stone spoke about their experiences working with the film producer. "Now it's up to us to continue moving forward to achieve her dream," said Stone.
Helping to do so is Gwyneth Paltrow, who was tapped to help fill Ziskin's shoes as executive producer of this year's fundraiser. "I was really honored they asked me," she told the LA Times. "It's wonderful to be involved in something that's approaching research and doctors with a real proactivity."
Olympic gold medalists Gabby Douglas and Missy Franklin joined a star-studded list of celebrity participants, star-studded list of participants, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Seth Rogen, Jessica Biel and many more.
Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw performed, as did Taylor Swift, who debuted a song written for a young cancer victim, inspired by his mother's blog, the AP reported.
Sprinkled among video montages of patients and pleas for donations from celebrities, some were given the opportunity to discuss how cancer has impacted their own lives. Matt Damon's father is fighting cancer; Paltrow lost hers to the disease. And although their losses may be played out on a bigger stage, the stories told last night are ones that any family or friend of someone fighting cancer can relate to.
Below, we've compiled some of the most moving celebrity quotes from Stand Up To Cancer. Tell us in the comments how the telethon moved you. And don't forget to share your own #IStandUpFor stories on Twitter.
