by Katie Kornfield

Members of City of Hope’s Music and Entertainment Industry group recently honored Clear Channel Chief Executive Officer Bob Pittman with The Spirit of Life® Award. Under his leadership, the industry group raised more than $5.6 million for City of Hope this year.

Bob Pittman, left, with gala attendees Quincy Jones and Neil Portnow. (Photo by Michael Kovac, Getty Images)

The June 12 Spirit of Life gala, held at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, featured performances by musical artists Alicia Keys, Katy Perry and the Zac Brown Band. Television host and producer Ryan Seacrest kicked off the evening with a special tribute to Pittman.

“I’m honored to be the recipient of this year’s award and to use the power of radio, Internet and music and entertainment for such a worthy cause,” said Pittman. “It is a privilege to represent the unparalleled work of City of Hope and all those who have been or will be affected by cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”

Pittman was named chief executive officer of Clear Channel, a global media company best known for its radio stations, in 2011. He also is a founding member of Pilot Group LLC, a New York private investment firm. Highly regarded as a media innovator, Pittman led the team that created MTV and has held executive positions with such well-known companies as Century 21 Real Estate and Time Warner Enterprises.

Clear Channel has been a longtime supporter of City of Hope. The company’s initiatives include the Pink Channel, an XM Radio channel that benefited City of Hope, and Play for Life, a program that raises funds and awareness for music therapy at City of Hope.

The Music and Entertainment Industry group has raised more than $103.6 million for research, treatment and education at City of Hope since the group was founded in 1973.