Gladys Knight to perform at fourth annual Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids

Veteran US singer Gladys Knight will perform at the fourth annual Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids, it has been announced.

Knight, known as The Empress of Soul, has enjoyed a glittering career on stage and screen.

The seven-time Grammy award winner has recorded more than 38 albums, including four solo albums during the past decade.

The event, taking place on September 21 at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, will honour basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his wife Cookie Johnson.

“Cookie and I are so excited to announce that on the night we are being honored by The Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids, the Empress of Soul Gladys Knight will perform,” said Johnson.

“We are thrilled to see our friend light up the stage. The great ones endure, and Gladys Knight is one of the greatest.”

As well as her career success, Knight is a humanitarian and philanthropist.

She is a supporter of various causes, including the American Diabetes Association – for which she is a national spokesperson – the American Cancer Society, the Minority Aids Project, amFAR and Crisis Intervention and The Boys and Girls Club.

The singer has been honored by numerous organisations, including the NAACP Legal Defence Fund, Congress of Racial Equality and B’Nai Brith as well as being a recipient of BET’s (Black Entertainment Network) Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF) was set up by British-American actress Taylor in 1991 to carry out her vision for an Aids-free world.

ETAF works to provide the direct care needed for people living with and affected by HIV and Aids.

Co-chairs for this year’s Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids include musician, model, actor and ETAF ambassador Paris Jackson as well as entrepreneur, producer and long-time supporter Christine Chiu.