Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge Honor Larry Mestel

Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge helped honor Primary Wave Music founder and chief executive Larry Mestel at City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Gala on Oct. 27. Held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, the event brought music and entertainment industry supporters together around the organization’s cancer research and patient-care mission.

Mestel received the 2026 Spirit of Life Award, which City of Hope describes as its highest philanthropic honor. “I don't look at this award as simply an honor; I look at it as a call to action,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, framing the recognition as a responsibility to sustain support for the cause.

The evening featured performances by Nicks, Etheridge and Browne, according to City of Hope’s announcement following the event. Their participation placed three prominent musical voices at the center of a benefit designed to connect the entertainment community with the organization’s research and treatment work. The gala served as the signature celebration of Mestel’s yearlong philanthropic campaign.

City of Hope said that campaign brought together artists, executives and entertainment companies to support research into CAR T cell therapy and other cellular immunotherapies, alongside breast cancer research and care initiatives. Those priorities gave the celebration a purpose beyond the award presentation. The organization framed the industry’s involvement as a way to support both scientific advances and the people receiving care.

Mestel founded Primary Wave in 2006 after working at multiple record labels, according to his biography on City of Hope’s campaign website. The company’s business spans music publishing and catalog acquisitions, with services including marketing, branding, licensing, film and television development, and estate management. Its represented catalogs include music associated with Nicks, as well as Bob Marley, Prince and Whitney Houston.

In announcing his selection, City of Hope emphasized Mestel’s approach to partnership as well as his music industry career. The organization linked his work bringing artists, estates and collaborators together with the collective effort behind its fundraising campaign. That emphasis made collaboration a connecting theme between the honoree’s professional background and the evening’s charitable purpose.

The gala also continued a longstanding relationship between City of Hope and the entertainment business. According to the organization, its Music, Film and Entertainment Industry group has supported its mission for more than five decades and raised more than $180 million for research and patient care. The annual campaign draws on that established network of artists, executives and corporate partners.

While the award presentation marked a centerpiece of the 2026 effort, the fundraising campaign continues through the end of the year, according to industry publication Hits. City of Hope has said campaign proceeds will support research and patient-care programs. Mestel’s acceptance remarks placed the emphasis on carrying that work forward rather than treating the gala as an endpoint.