Bruno Mars Surprises Fans With $1M Donation to Flint Water Crisis

Singer Bruno Mars had a surprise at his sold-out concert in Michigan—telling the crowd he was donating $1 million to help Flint residents deal with the ongoing contaminated water crisis.

During a performance at the Palace of Auburn Hills for his 24k Magic World Tour, Mars told the crowd that he and the show's promoter, Live Nation, were using some of the money raised from the concert's proceeds to support the Flint Water Crisis, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The crisis started in early 2014, when the city of Flint switched its water source. The water later tested positive for E. Coli, and elevated levels of lead—causing former President Barack Obama to declare a federal state of emergency in the city, freeing up $5 million to cover bottled water and filters. As of March of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency still encourages everyone in Flint, including pets, to drink filtered or bottled water, even though lead levels of tap water appear to have fallen.