14 DAY TRIAL // At this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival, Lady Gaga toned down her performance a bit to honor a late “Monster,” Jamey Rodemeyer, a gay teen who committed suicide after being bullied in school earlier this month.
As the video below will show, Gaga sat down at her piano and performed “Hair” for Jamey, of whom she said he was a role model and an inspiration to everyone.
“We lost a Little Monster this week,” Lady Gaga told the audience, as she asked them to turn their attention to the screen above her, where a message for Jamey was written.
“I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you’ve got when you’re in school... It’s called ‘Hair’,” the singer further said in the introduction.
“So tonight, Jamey, I know you’re up there looking at us, and you’re not a victim. You’re a lesson to all of us. I know it’s a bit of a downer, but sometimes the right thing is more important than the music,” Gaga added,
At one point in the song, which she had adapted to the occasion, Gaga yelled that “Bullying is for losers,” as her fans in attendance cheered her on.
The 14-year-old Jamey was found dead outside his parents’ home in Buffalo, N.Y. For months, he’s been uploading videos on his YouTube account, saying he was bullied in school by 3 boys for being gay.
He also said repeatedly that Gaga was his idol, which explains how come word of his death reached the star so quickly.
Hours after confirmation came that Jamey had killed himself, Gaga took to her Twitter page to say she believed bullying should be labeled a crime – and made punishable as such – and that she had plans to meet with President Obama to speak about it.
Below is video of Lady Gaga’s performance of “Hair” for Jamey, at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Enjoy.