The Dying Wishes You Didn't Know These Musicians Granted For Their Fans

Small gestures can have huge impacts. Celebrities, just by their mere presence, can touch their fans deeply, especially gravely sick individuals whose dying wishes are to interact with their favorite stars. Singer and actress Selena Gomez knows this well — after all, she helped so many kids with her work through the Make-A-Wish Foundation that the organization, which helps critically ill children, gave her the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award, according to Tiger Beat. 

"A wish-come-true helps wish kids feel better and in some cases get better," said David Williams, then president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America, who left in 2018 (via Make-a-Wish Foundation). "Celebrities, like Selena, can make a very real, lasting impact on wish kids' ability to handle and overcome the medical challenges they face."

She's not the only one invested in creating happy moments for those suffering from sickness. When rapper Eminem heard that a 17-year-old fan with a rare bone cancer wanted to meet him through The Rainbow Connection, a group that helps Michigan children suffering from life-threatening illnesses achieve dreams, he was all in. High school student Gage Garmo received a visit from the real Slim Shady in his Rochester Hills, Michigan, home. A day later, Garmo lost his long fight with osteosarcoma. 

"I think it's amazing that Eminem got out there on Sunday — with nobody knowing this was going to happen on Monday. It was kind of a little miracle; we see a lot of those little miracles," said Executive Director Mary Grace McCarter" (via MLive).

Queen Bey also tries to help fans facing terrible ailments. When approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation about a 12-year-old girl's dream to dance with the star, she invited Taylon, who had an inoperable brain tumor, to a Las Vegas concert in 2013. She shared a moving video on YouTube of the experience where Beyonce floats down from the theater's rafters in a bedazzled outfit to join Taylon in the audience. Then the two danced to "Survivor" and sang "Love On Top" together. 

She also sent flowers and a card to Lyric "Yhung" Chanel, who had brain cancer, per the Huffington Post. The singer learned of her illness through an Instagram page about the girl, who had posted clips of her singing "Love on Top" as a preschooler. Beyonce also gifted Lyric with Ivy Park items, a line she produces. When the 13-year-old died, Beyonce created a video tribute for her. The family posted a message for the star on their Instagram page saying, "Thank you @beyonce. I'm so grateful that Lyric was able to hear you sing to her before she left this world." 

Going the extra distance is not unusual in granting a wish as Lady Gaga showed in 2013 when the mega-star spent time with then 5-year-old Kayleigh Gurzynski the night before Valentine's Day. The little girl had Turner's syndrome along with a rare heart defect, called Hypo-plastic Left Heart syndrome, according to the Pierce County Herald. Gurzynski died from the illness about three months later, the day after she turned 6. The singer could hardly walk during the twosome's hangout; she had just canceled a Chicago show during the "Born This Way Ball" tour because of a painful hip injury and joint inflammation, according to CNN.

Country singer Luke Combs also visited with a fan, conversing through FaceTime with Rena Bishop, who had breast cancer. According to Country Rebel, Bishop's friends organized the chat, reaching out to the star through social media. "I love Rena and I don't want her last moments to be focused on the pain, I want her to remember that time," said a buddy to the publication.

Some wishes can involve a number of moving parts and, occasionally, a miraculous ending. Nebraska elementary student Cayden Hubbard wanted to reach pop stardom. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, along with the local football team, a radio station, and the band Maroon 5 made it happen, according to KLKN-TV. 

In 2012, the then-5th grader got a security escort from the Husker football players to a limo that took him to KFRX to record an on-air promotional spot. Then Hubbard flew to Los Angeles so he could do what a singing star does: record a song at a studio, have a makeover, and meet with "Extra" reporter Mario Lopez. Maroon 5 member James Valentine — a Lincoln, Nebraska native — heard what was happening and came to meet Hubbard, bringing his bandmate, Adam Levine. Hubbard sang with them and received an autographed guitar. 

Hubbard was diagnosed with a tumor at the base of his brain when he was in kindergarten. He went on to have several surgeries and graduated high school in 2018, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.