UPDATE (July 9): Goo Goo Dolls are set to perform at the 39th annual Carousel Ball at the Hyatt Regency Denver on Oct. 11, honoring music icon Neil Diamond. Previous stars who’ve headlined the ball included Sir Elton John, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and John Legend.
Goo Goo Dolls have landed two No. 1 hits on Billboard’s all-genre Radio Songs chart – “Iris,” which held the top spot for a then record 18 weeks in 1998, and “Slide.”
“We’re excited to take the stage at The Carousel Ball and support an amazing cause,” said Goo Goo Dolls bandmates John Rzeznik and Robby Takac in a joint statement. “The progress the Children’s Diabetes Foundation has made in diabetes research and patient care has brought new hope to countless families and we’re honored to be a part of their special night.”
PREVIOUSLY (April 29): Neil Diamond is set to receive the Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award by the Children’s Diabetes Foundation at the 39th Annual Carousel Ball on Oct. 11. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, near the home of CDF’s primary operations and its clinic and research facility, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.
Diamond is just the third recipient of the award, following Sidney Poitier (2016) and Diane Warren (2024).
Proceeds from The Carousel Ball benefit CDF and focus on patient support, awareness and diabetes research. The Carousel Balls, which date to 1978, collectively have raised more than $117 million.
Diamond, 84, has served on CDF’s advisory board and has attended the organization’s fundraisers for many years, including performing in Denver in 2001, as well as at The Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills in 2012, where he memorably sang an impromptu duet of “Sweet Caroline” with George Clooney.
“It’s been my absolute joy to have supported the Children’s Diabetes Foundation for so many wonderful years,” Diamond said in a statement. “Barbara Davis and her organization have done an immense amount of good helping kids, adults and their families facing a difficult diagnosis.”
“Neil Diamond is a once-in-a-generation talent,” event chair Dana Davis and honorary chair Barbara Davis said in a joint statement. “As a bestselling recording artist the world over, he is an undeniable force whose songwriting has earned him countless musical accolades. … For over 35 years, Neil has lent his timeless voice to our efforts to find a cure for diabetes. On behalf of the patients and researchers his generosity has touched, we can’t think of anyone more deserving of our Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Diamond’s career spans nearly 60 years. He landed his first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Cherry, Cherry,” in October 1966. He has notched three No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 — “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970), “Song Sung Blue” (1972) and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” a duet with Barbra Streisand (1978). Diamond finally topped the Billboard 200 in 2008, nearly 42 years after he first made that chart, with Home Before Dark.
Diamond was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and has received two additional awards from that organization — the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement in 2000 and the Johnny Mercer Award (their top honor) in 2018.
Additionally, Diamond received MusiCares’ Person of the Year Award in 2009, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2011 and a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2018. He was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. His achievements also include a Grammy, a Golden Globe Award, an American Music Award, an ASCAP Film and Television Award and a Billboard Icon Award.
In addition to the award to Diamond, The MacMillan Family will be honored with the High Hopes Tribute Award for their nearly three decades of commitment as supporters of CDF. To purchase tickets and tables and learn more about the event, visit the Children’s Diabetes Foundation’s site.
