AEG's Tim Leiweke Wins 2009 Spirit of Life Award

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke was the recipient of the City of Hope 2009 Spirit of Life Award during a benefit staged on Wednesday that raised $9 million to help fight cancer.

Leiweke was recognized for his philanthropic endeavors as well as his work with AEG in redeveloping downtown Los Angeles. The dinner, held at L.A. Live's Marriott-Ritz Carlton hotel, featured acoustic entertainment by Bon Jovi and drew a diverse crowd of more than 1700 people including Mayor Antonio Villaraigos and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

According to Billboard, AEG has been a long-time partner with the City of Hope and a portion of the proceeds from a number of AEG's major tours inclding Kiss, Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake have been donated to help fund cancer research. CAA's Rob Light, City of Hope's National Campaign Co-Chair said that Cyrus alone raised more than 3.5 million.

"I am very embarrassed," Billboard reported Leiweke saying during his acceptance speech. "I just went out and gave speeches and fought the city attorney." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers