Warwick led the landmark AIDS charity single with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight, raising millions for AIDS research.
In October 1985, Dionne Warwick spearheaded the recording of "That's What Friends Are For," a charity single featuring Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight, released to raise funds and awareness for AIDS research at a time when the disease carried enormous stigma and government response was minimal.
Warwick took a leading organizational role in bringing together this all-star lineup, using her industry stature and relationships to mobilize major artists behind a cause that many in the entertainment industry were still hesitant to publicly support due to the intense social stigma surrounding AIDS in the mid-1980s. This made her one of the first major recording artists to lead such a high-profile, artist-driven charitable response to the AIDS crisis.
The song became a worldwide number-one hit and ultimately raised millions of dollars for AIDS research and support organizations, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). It won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1987 and remains one of the most successful charity singles in music history.
Warwick's leadership on this project established her as a pioneering voice in AIDS activism within the entertainment industry, years before such advocacy became more mainstream. Her continued work as a global health ambassador in subsequent decades, including her role with the World Health Organization, can be traced back to the moral and organizational commitment she demonstrated with this landmark recording.