Lady Gaga honored Elton John and David Furnish for their outstanding contributions to AIDS research organization amfAR on February 10, 2010 by accepting the Award of Courage on their behalf at the amfAR benefit at Cipriani 42.

Gaga performed an all-white rendition of "Speechless" for the crowd, then hopping up on the piano with a pearl-encrusted face to sip a cup of tea.

Elton and David were not present as Elton is on tour with Billy Joel and David called in sick, so Gaga accepted amfAR’s award for their efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS on their behalf.

Michael Kors, Chloe Sevigny, Heidi Klum and Kenneth Colewere just a handful of names in the room, along with Cyndi Lauper, who made a speech about the MAC AIDS Fund Viva Glam Campaign. Vanessa Redgrave also showed their support by honoring her late daughter Natasha Richardson's contributions to amfAR, citing "My darling Natasha, I am so proud of your courage, your commitment, your spirit."

Rufus Wainwright hit the stage for a performance of Judy Garland's "The Man that Got Away," and Meryl Streep closed the night with an Irish song "for Tasha and all the people who aren't here tonight."

"It really takes guts to get up and sing after Lady Gaga and Rufus," Streep said. "The sacred and the profane." “Lady Gaga was exciting and new,” said Rufus Wainwright, who also performed two songs, “and I’m a great admirer of hers, but I was surprised with Meryl Streep’s song. I lost my mother a few weeks ago, and I thought I could keep it together just fine, and of course, I failed. I cried. Thanks, Meryl!”

“I know they’d so much like to be here,” Gaga told the audience, which included Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Julianne Margulis, Iman, and Brooke Shields. “I recently became good friends with them, and you get to feel like they’re someone you’ve known your whole life, and you’ve wanted to know your whole life. It’s fitting this award is about courage, because Elton was for me someone who represented a fearlessness to be who you are, and speak for the things you believe in, and really stand up for what you believe in. I will tell them you all said hello”

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