Ready your tear ducts, because this video of Ellen DeGeneres introducing a survivor of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub mass shooting to his hero, Katy Perry, is seriously emotional.
Tony Marrero was shot four times by gunman Omar Mateen when he entered the gay nightclub with a gun back in June. While recovering in hospital, Marrero said listening to the lyrics of her song Rise inspired and motivated him to recover.
“The lyrics to that song are so powerful,” he told Ellen.
“Every word in that song is just powerful. So I embraced it …”
In typical Ellen fashion, the TV host then brought out the pop star as a surprise for Tony, which triggered tears and emotional embraces all round.
“I’m shaking right now,” Katy said. “We’re both electrified by each other, and so inspired.”
Both Katy and Ellen are active gay rights advocates, and tweeted about their heartbreak following the shooting.
“I just want to say thank you for everything you do,” Tony told Katy through tears.
“Your lyrics to that song helped me from the day I was in the hospital all the way to now. Thank you.”
After hearing that Tony wanted to attend film school, Katy then said she would pay for his first year of tuition.
