Elton John pledges $1 million to 'heartbreaking' Australian fire relief efforts

Elton John has vowed to donate $1 million to help those battling the devastation caused by the ongoing Australian bushfires that have reportedly lead to multiple human fatalities on top of an estimated 1 billion animal deaths.

During a Tuesday evening performance on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, the 72-year-old pop icon revealed his monetary pledge to a crowd gathered at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.

“There are people out there who’ve lost their lives trying to save homes. There are people who’ve lost their lives and their homes,” John can be seen saying while seated at a piano in a video of the performance circulating on social media. “Lastly 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 to support the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund.

John is the latest among a growing number of celebrities who have contributed to relief efforts as the blaze rages on, following Chris Hemsworth ($1 million), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban ($500,000), and Pink ($500,000), among others.

Stars like Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe also called for action on the diaster during Sunday night’s Golden Globes ceremony, where John and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin also won a statuette for contributing an original song to the former’s Rocketman biopic.

“Make no mistake. The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change based. We need to act based on science, move our global work force to renewable energy, and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is. That way we all have a future,” presenter Jennifer Aniston read on behalf of Crowe, who wasn’t present to accept his award for his performance in The Loudest Voice, but dedicated his speech to raising awareness about the fires, while Blanchett later called the fires a “climate disaster” and thanked those fighting them.

Watch John pledge $1 million to relief efforts above.

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