Katy Perry couldn’t hold back the tears as she made a surprise appearance on the Ellen show on Thursday, to meet a brave survivor of the June 12 shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub.
Before the emotional moment, Tony Marrero was telling host Ellen DeGeneres that Katy’s uplifting song ‘Rise’ helped him through some of his darkest moments after the terrifying attack, as he was recovering in hospital.
Ellen then turned the tables on Tony, asking him: “Have you met Katy yet? Would you like to meet her?”
A speechless Tony could only look on in amazement as Katy herself walked out on stage, and the two shared a tearful hug for several moments.
“Life isn’t easy and you need little reliefs,” Katy told Tony. “I’m happy to be a joy, I’m happy to be a light, I’m happy I could be there in my own little way to help you.”
That wasn’t all the good news in store, however. Katy, who said she knew Tony’s dream was to go to film school, then offered to “personally” pay for his first year’s tuition.
Watch the heartwarming moment in the video player above
