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The one-hour special, to be hosted by Elton
John and broadcast on Fox and iHeart radio stations, is the
first major nationwide event in the United States to harness
celebrity power to help those affected by the disease.
The "IHeart Living Room Concert for America" will also feature
performances from Alicia Keys, Backstreet Boys, and Green Day
frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. All of the musicians will film
themselves from homes with their cellphones or other equipment.
The special is aimed at paying tribute to health workers and
those on the front lines of efforts to cope with the pandemic,
which has overwhelmed hospitals. It will also encourage viewers
to donate to two charities: Feeding America and the First
Responders Children's Foundation.
Musicians have been quick to move online as U.S. states have
issued shutdown and stay-at-home orders, with free performances
filmed at home and streamed on social media from the likes of
John Legend and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Others have made individual contributions to hospitals and
nonprofits as the coronavirus has spread across the United
States.
They include folk singer James Taylor, who this week made a $1
million donation to Massachusetts General Hospital, and Rihanna,
whose foundation gave $5 million to charities to supply food and
protective equipment to healthcare workers.
Fox said the "IHeart Living Room Concert for America" will be
broadcast on Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT/6 pm PDT (0100 GMT on Monday).
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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