Billy Crystal describes pain of losing home in Palisades Fire at FireAid benefit concert: ‘Fell to my knees’
Billy Crystal, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire, shared a moving message at the LA FireAid Benefit Concert on Thursday night at the Kia Forum.
Following Green Day's performance, Crystal took the stage to introduce the show, with proceeds going to a non-profit, supporting displaced families, rebuilding of infrastructure as well as advancing fire protection technologies.
"Our goal is simple tonight, to raise more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents," the comedian joked.
Crystal explained that Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Intuit Dome, would be matching everyone's donation, $1 for $1, on Thursday night.
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The first donation of the night was from U2 for $1 million, which Ballmer will be matching, Crystal said.
"You'll be hearing from a number of people who were tragically affected by these fires, and I was one of them. These were the clothes I wore when I fled my house with my wife Janice, like so many of us did, on January 7th. This was all I had. Wore it for a week, plus an N-95 mask."
"I looked like an evacuee or someone that just robed a 7-11," Crystal joked.
Crystal explained that 23 years ago, he took the stage at Madison Square Garden to hold a benefit following 9/11. He explained that he walked out to a grieving audience, holding up posters with pictures of their loved ones asking if anyone had seen them.
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"And tonight, here I am, talking to all of you in pain, but now I am also one of the hurting thousands, asking, ‘Have you seen my school? Have you seen my church? Have you seen my house? Have you seen my town? Have you seen the 29 people who lost their lives? Have you seen them?’" Crystal said.
Crystal explained that following 9/11, he was honoring many first responders and firefighters who lost their lives.
"Tonight, we're here together to thank them and all those who run towards danger while we run to shelter and safety," Crystal said.
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He paused to applaud the first responders, with some attending the benefit concert on Thursday night.
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"When we were finally able to get back to our house in the Palisades, which I lived in for 46 years, like thousands of you, our house now looked like this," Crystal said, before a photo of the aftermath of the Palisades Fire appeared on the screen.
"I stepped onto the grounds and fell to my knees and I wailed. I had not cried like that since I was 15 years old, and I was told that my father had just died. I remember looking in the mirror back then with my whole life ahead of me thinking, ‘What’s my life gonna be like without him?'"
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"And now folks, I'm 76-years-old, without a mirror and a lot less life to ponder thinking, ‘What is my life going to be like without our home?’" Crystal asked.
Crystal explained that while visiting the grounds of what used to be his home for 46 years, his daughters ran over with a rock that had "laughter" engraved on it.
"Even in your worst pain folks, it's okay and it's important to laugh," he said. "When I held that rock in my hands, this was the only thing that was left, I thought it was a message from 15-year-old me, saying ‘It’s gonna be okay and it will be okay.' "
"With your help around the country and here in the room, we will laugh again. We are going to listen to music again and we will be okay," Crystal said.