LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.- A woman looks at engraved names of people who died of AIDS, after the dedication ceremony for The Wall- Las Memorias AIDS memorial on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. The East L.A. memorial will eventually display the names of about 7,500 Californians who lost their lives to the disease.

Dionne Warwick, internationally acclaimed singer and humanitarian whose work on behalf of people with AIDS around the globe has touched millions, sang the AIDS-inspired song, “That’s What Friends Are For” at the dedication of The Wall-Las Memorias AIDS monument on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004 at Lincoln Park, on the eastside of Los Angeles.

In honor of long-time friend, Marvin Davis, whom she lost to AIDS, Ms. Warwick submitted his name etched in the monument’s granite panels. The AIDS monument will eventually hold the names of approximately 7,500 Californians who lost their lives to AIDS.

“Marvin was a good friend, and someone who meant a lot to me,” said Ms. Warwick.

Adding his name to the monument is my way of honoring the memory of our friendship and his life.

“His name, and the thousands of names that will become part of the AIDS monument, will remind us that we cannot be silent in the fight against AIDS.”

Ms. Warwick is known internationally not only for an exceptional singing career that spans nearly four decades, but her work in the fight against AIDS.

Nearly 20 years ago, she reunited with producer Burt Bacharach to record “That’s What Friends Are For” with longtime friends Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and Elton John. Profits from the sale of that song were donated to AIDS.

The Wall-Las Memorias is located in Lincoln Park, in the Los Angeles community of Lincoln Heights. Approximately 10,000 square feet in size, the monument has been envisioned as not only a memorial to those who have died, but as a place for family members and friends to visit and seek solace, and, most important, an educational tool in the fight against AIDS.