The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) recently honored Tom Ford at its fifth annual Inspiration Gala, Daily Mail reported.
As the guest of honor of the charity event held in Los Angeles, Ford received the Award of Inspiration not only for his contributions to menswear but also for his commitment to fighting the ongoing AIDS crisis.
"I'm a little self-conscious about this award because the most inspiring thing for me is the men and women who devote their lives to eradicating HIV and AIDS, so an inspiration award to me is really for them," Ford told Style before the charity event started.
Upon accepting his award, Ford said, "Today's generation of young adults have never known the ravages of AIDS as some of us have and for that reason, in some cases, they have let down their guard. We cannot let down our guard."
Ford shared he and his husband Richard Buckley got tested for HIV in 1988. Following which, Buckley called Ford to "joyfully" tell him he only had stage-four cancer and not HIV, E! Online reported.
"Who could have imagined that only having stage-four cancer was something to celebrate?" Ford said.
Recalling the time when he and his husband started dating, the fashion icon said, “We would meet for dinner and then we would each go to a different hospital to visit our best friends who were dying of AIDS.”
The event raised $3 million for the AIDS charity. Among the donors were Miley Cyrus and Rihanna who presented the award to Ford saying, “Everyone looks good in Tom Ford.”
While Cyrus spent $300,000 on a Ryan McGinley photograph and donated $200,000 to the amfAR, Rihanna spent a total of $135,000 on Willy Rizzo's photograph called "Elizabeth Taylor at the Eden Roc" and Harry Winston diamond link earrings with 72 diamonds set in platinum.
Actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Sharon Stone were also in attendance.