Producers of a gala benefit for the Painted Turtle, a Lake Hughes, California, camp for children with life-threatening diseases, expected that founder Paul Newman would be able to attend the Monday night event when they planned it months ago. But when the actor and philanthropist died of cancer in September, a group of famous friends signed up in his stead to raise money and pay him tribute.
The Huffington Post reports that the party, held at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, began with a prerecorded video address from Newman about his work with the camp. Then actors including Danny Glover, Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, and Warren Beatty took the stage for a dramatic reading of “The World of Nick Adams” for the crowd of 2,500.
After the 90-minute reading, a group of campers and Bonnie Raitt joined the actors on stage for a tribute to their late benefactor. Raitt dedicated a performance of "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" to Newman, and at the end of the night, the 17 actors in attendance waxed nostalgic on Newman’s contributions to film and humanity.
