13 Celebrities who have made a difference in their fans’ lives

Johnny Depp surprised patients at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Australia in July by showing up in his full Captain Jack Sparrow costume. Depp, who is filming the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie near the hospital, was captured in photos taken by a local newspaper that show him hugging and taking photos with the young patients.

Just call Swift the queen of fan surprises. The singer is known for going above and beyond for the members of her loyal fan base, from attending a bridal shower to sending them personalized Christmas gifts. In June, met with 13-year-old Victoria Marsh, a teenager with Down syndrome who is also battling bone cancer. Most recently, she donated $50,000 to an 11-year-old fan with cancer who couldn’t attend her concert. “To the beautiful and brave Naomi, I’m sorry you have to miss it, but there will always be more concerts. Let’s focus on getting you feeling better,” Swift wrote to the young fan.

Pratt has quite a knack for bringing a smile to children’s faces. Last summer, he arranged a special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy for patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and then surprised them by showing up in full Star-Lord gear. Earlier this year, he helped a young patient celebrate after she found out she was in remission. Plus, we can’t forget his Super Bowl Bet with Chris Evans, which generated more than $27,000 for the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Christopher’s Haven in Boston.

The popular author is known for taking the time to respond to her fans’ letters and social media messages. Last year, the writer sent a care package to 15-year-old Cassidy Stay, the sole survivor of a shooting that killed her parents and siblings, after the teen quoted Harry Potter at her family’s funeral. Earlier this year, when a fan tweeted to the author about his depression, she also reached out, sending him the message, “The world is full of wonderful things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t ever give up on the chance of seeing them.“

It should come as no surprise that Sheeran, known for his romantic lyrics, has a way with marriage proposals. Last year, the songwriter met 19-year-old Katie Papworth, a superfan battling brain cancer, and even accepted her marriage “proposal“ along with a ring. He also signed one of her artworks with the message: “Katie, lovely to finally meet my wife.“ In June, Sheeran also helped a Canadian man propose to his girlfriend battling cancer. Talk about spreading the love.

Gomez is known for making time to talk to fans on social media. Earlier this year, she proved how much she cares by reaching out to a suicidal fan on Instagram. “People every day feel so many emotions they wish they could turn off,“ Gomez wrote. “But that’s not why we are here. We are here for relationships, for people just like us who feel worthless. Your purpose is to share, help, and encourage.“

Hanks has earned a reputation as being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and for good reason. Whether posing for funny photos with fans at a bar or penning awesome responses to fan mail, the actor has shown he has a heart of gold. His latest heart-melting good deed? In March, he lent a hand to three hardworking Girl Scouts by buying four boxes of cookies, donating an extra $20, and even sticking around to help sell more boxes.

Earlier this year, the Harry Potter star helped spread an inspiring girl power message to a young fan on Twitter. The fan explained to Watson that her father told her she couldn‘t be an engineer because it’s a man’s profession and asked the actress how to change his mind. The actress responded with one simple, encouraging statement: “Become an engineer.“

It turns out the real Slim Shady has a really kind heart. Earlier this year, the rapper met with a terminally ill fan, 17-year-old Gage Garmo, following a social media campaign to get the pair together. The artist made a surprise visit to Garmo‘s house, fulfilling what turned out to be the superfan‘s final wish. Garmo passed away the day after Eminem visited.

After winning his Super Bowl bet against fellow Marvel star Chris Pratt, the two stars visited both Seattle Children’s Hospital (seen above) and Boston‘s Christopher Haven. That‘s not the only time Evans has gone out of his way for a fan. Last year, he surprised Kenny Botting, 9-year-old superfan battling cancer, at the hospital, dressed in his full Captain America gear.

Earlier this year, Parton met up with a young fan with Down syndrome named Gage Black. In addition to meeting him, posing for pictures and swapping stories, the legendary country singer even sang some of her most famous songs with the little boy, like “Jolene“ and her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream.“

Last year, Drake took a break from his busy schedule to visit 15-year-old Kennedy Brown, a Texas fan battling cancer. After the students at Brown‘s school had helped spread the hashtag #DrakeForKen online, the rapper spent a day hanging out and taking photos with Kennedy, her family and a few of her friends.

In March 2015, Downey gave Alex, a 7-year-old boy who was born with a partially developed right arm, a very cool gift: a bionic arm like the one his superhero character, Iron Man, wears. The arm was created by Albert Manero, a college student who builds and donates 3D-printed limbs for children. Downey personally delivered the gift (as captured on video) and stayed in character as Tony Stark, telling Alex: “Half the time, I design one of these, and it keeps breaking on me. What I do is I keep working on it, like you’re working on it with Albert.“