Rapper Post Malone is joining the ranks of celebrities who are raising funds to help out with COVID-19 relief.
According to Billboard, the “Circles” rapper managed to raise a total of $800,000 thanks to an 80-minute live stream tribute performance to iconic grunge band, Nirvana. Held on Apr. 24, the tribute performance featured Malone covering 15 Nirvana songs, assisted by Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums, Brian Lee on bass, and Nick Mac on guitar. Some of the songs performed are “About a Girl,” “Lithium,” and “Heart-Shaped Box.”
In a breakdown provided by YouTube -- where the performance was streamed -- the amount includes the matching donations made by Google. The tech company donated $2 for every $1 donated to the stream and will continue to do so up to $5 million. The money will be given to the United Nations Foundation's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.
This isn’t the only charitable thing Malone has done over the past few days. As the New York Post reports, the 24-year-old is also utilizing the celebrity fan platform Community to ask fans which causes he should donate to. Malone will use up to $1 million of his own money.
Malone is only the latest celebrity to take part in fundraising efforts for COVID-19 relief. Gwyneth Paltrow auctioned her “not Oscars material” dress for the All-In Challenge, which aims to help out No Kid Hungry, Meals on Wheels America, Feeding America, and World Central Kitchen.
Music icon Elton John also held the “Living Room Concert for America”, which had the First Responders Children’s Foundation and Feeding America as beneficiaries. The concert was able to raise $8 million to help out both organizations.
Angelina Jolie also provided No Kid Hungry $1 million to help with their goal of feeding the 22 million schoolchildren who now have trouble finding food to eat ever since the coronavirus pandemic brought about statewide lockdowns.
Any help from celebrities is certainly needed as confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to rise all over the world. The World Health Organization, in its situation report for Apr. 29, said that there are now 3,018,952 confirmed COVID-19 cases globally. New cases make up 66,276 of that total number. COVID-19 has now killed 207,953 people around the world, with 5,376 of those being new deaths.
Meanwhile, the United States now has 1,005,147 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Apr. 29 updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those total cases, 23,901 are new ones. Deaths caused by COVID-19 are now at 57,505 people, with new deaths making up 2,247 of that total.