Sir Elton John has become the latest in a long list of global celebrities who have dug deep to donate generously to Australia's bushfire relief efforts and call attention to what he describes as devastation on a "biblical scale." As he closed his set at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena last night, Elton took a moment to acknowledge all those who are working tirelessly to fight the unprecedented fires.
"You should all be in awe of the work that the firefighters are doing," Sir Elton said. "There are people out there who have lost their lives trying to save homes, there are people who have lost their lives and their homes. And last, is the plight of the animals and loss of their habitat that frankly, is on a biblical scale and heartbreaking.”
"Therefore, tonight I will be pledging $1 million."
The audience immediately leapt to its feet and let out a massive cheer in response to the singer’s heartfelt speech.
Sir Elton's donation comes after a recent outpouring of celebrity generosity that has seen Australian actor Chris Hemsworth also pledge $1 million for the bushfire recovery, following in the footsteps of singer Pink, Kylie Minogue's family and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, who all have announced $500,000 donations to the cause. Cher is among the foreign celebrities who have personally donated and expressed their horror at Australia's bushfire emergency.
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