The Weeknd donates $1 million to COVID-19 relief

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicThe Weeknd is opening up his wallet to help the music community and his hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic.The singer has donated $500,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, as well as $500,000 to Scarborough Hea…

By ABC Audio on June 30, 2020

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicThe Weeknd is opening up his wallet to help the music community and his hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The singer has donated $500,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, as well as $500,000 to Scarborough Health Network, the hospital network in his Ontario hometown.

“I was raised in Scarborough and felt it was important to give back to the community that raised me during the hard times of this pandemic,” The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said in a statement.

The MusiCares donation will go to help members of the music industry who have lost work due to the coronavirus shutdown.

The Weeknd has been steadily raising money through sales of his XO-themed face masks, with 100% of the proceeds going to COVID-19 relief. He's also matching every dollar raised.

Earlier this month, the singer donated $500,000 to be split between Black Lives Matter Global Network and the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, as well as $100,000 to National Bail Out.

By Andrea Tuccillo
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