It was Saturday night that Bruno Mars brought his 24k Magic show to a sold out crowd in Michigan at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and by the time the show was over the multi-instrumentalist and singer pledged a donation of $1 million to the Flint water crisis.
“I’m very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause. Ongoing challenges remain years later for Flint residents, and it’s important that we don’t forget our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster,” Bruno said. “As people, especially as Americans, we need to stand together to make sure something like this never happens in any community ever again.”
Read More: Dave Chapelle Donates $50,000 To Flint Water Crisis
It was back in 2014 that the city of Flint, Michigan switched its water sources to a pipeline connecting to the Flint River in an effort to reduce costs. The river water was later determined to contain high concentrations of bacteria, disinfectant and lead, boasting a now infamously brown and murky color.
This eventually lead to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease, killing at least a dozen citizens.
Mars, who also just dropped off his “Versace On the Floor” music video starring Zendaya, announced that his donation would be going toward the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
His effort is matched by a host of celebrities who have pledged financial support to helping the city restore potable running water for its residents. The likes of who include, but are certainly not limited to Dave Chapelle, Big Sean, and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Since 2014, 5 state officials have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deaths that occured as a direct effect of Flint’s water crisis.
However it remains that the city of Flint, Michigan has not had clean water in over 1,200 days.
