- Diddy was among the honorees lauded at the Apollo Theater's gala Monday night in Harlem.
- The mogul missed the fun — but made up for it with a six-figure donation to the historic Harlem landmark.
Trouble on the tarmac kept the man of the hour at the Apollo Theater's annual spring benefit from attending the gala.
Diddy was set to take home the legendary theater and performing arts center's Icon Award for his accomplishments in music, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and education. But plane troubles kept the hip hop mogul marooned in Miami, he said.
"Apollo, Harlem! I just want to say thank you for honoring me this year with the Icon Award," Diddy said via video at the gala Monday night, where he appeared to be ensconced in the cabin of a private plane.
"As you can see, I've been sitting on the ground at the airport for over – I got here at like 9 a.m. — and they're just not letting any airplanes fly out right now," Diddy explained. "I definitely wish I could be there with y'all. I'm still trying to get there, but it was important for me to make this video and thank y'all from the bottom of my heart. I'm one of your Harlem sons."
Although the "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" rapper wasn't there physically, his presence was felt when Tarik Brooks, president of Combs Enterprises, announced that his boss would donate $250,000 to the Apollo to support its programs and services.
"I'm no Sean Combs, but I know how much this night meant to him," Brooks said in front of an audience that included Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Spike Lee, New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, Cuba Gooding Jr., restaurateur Melba Wilson, actor Leon Robinson, Valerie Jarrett, and Bryant Gumbel. "The Sean Combs Foundation will be donating $250,000 to further the mission of the Apollo!"
Also honored at the June 12 event were outgoing Apollo Theater president and CEO Jonelle Procope, corporate sponsor Warby Parker, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who recalled venturing into jazz singer Sarah Vaughn's Apollo dressing room as a 4-year-old when his father played in her band.
Attendees were treated to a concert from the likes of Wyclef Jean, DJ D-Nice, MC Lyte, Stout and Gladys Knight — who brought the house down with her stirring rendition of "You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me," in tribute to Procope.
Diddy heaped praise on the theater, which began serving Harlem's Black community in 1934, for its commitment to Uptown Manhattan.
"The Apollo means so much to me. It was a beacon of hope for me," Diddy said. "It's probably one of the last things we have in Harlem that really represents Harlem."