Watch: 49 Celebs Honor the 49 Orlando Shooting Victims

Orlando, FL — When Omar Mateen opened fire in a crowded Orlando nightclub in the early morning hours of June 12, the lives of 49 people came to an abrupt and violent end.

Each of those people — fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, partners — had their own stories to tell. While Mateen made certain the world would know their stories’ ending, the passages that came before for the 49 victims of the Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Bar shooting are not as widely known.

Hoping to ensure the world would know more about the 49 than their tragic end in the worst mass shooting in American history, 49 celebrities recently stepped forward to set the record straight. In an 18-minute tribute produced by Ryan Murphy, some of Hollywood’s biggest names paid homage to those who died.

See also:

• Orlando Massacre Victims: Beyond a List of Names

Emma Roberts, Laverne Cox, Kathy Bates, Anna Paquin, Demi Lovato and a host of others lined up to tell the stories of those robbed of their own voices. The vignettes dedicated to each of the 49 victims offer glimpses into the lives of those taken in the attack, since classified as an act of terror by the federal government. Some of the victims were living out their dreams. Others were struggling to find their footing. A few wrestled demons, such as drug addiction, and had come out on the other side with hope for a brighter future.

“It’s on all of us to keep their memories alive, and to ensure part of their legacy becomes meaningful action to end hate violence,” the Human Rights Campaign noted in posting Murphy’s video to YouTube.

Murphy is a writer, producer and director with a number of hit shows to his credit. He’s worked as a writer on such series as “American Horror Story,” “Scream Queens” and “Glee.” His credits as a producer include those series, “Nip/Tuck,” “Open” and now the stories the victims of the Pulse shooting can no longer tell.

Screenshot and video courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign