Céline Dion Pledges to Donate Las Vegas Concert Proceeds to Shooting Victims
Céline Dion dedicated her concert on Tuesday to the tragic Las Vegas shooting victims.
The "Power of Love" singer's show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace went on as scheduled, according to reports. Before her performance, Dion delivered an emotional speech acknowledging the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival.
Additionally, the 49-year-old announced she and her show partners, AEG Presents and Caesars Entertainment, would donate all proceeds from her concert to the victims of the deadly incident, which is now considered as the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
"We dedicate tonight's show to all of the victims and their families, and to the first responders, and to the doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to save lives, and to so many heroes who did whatever they could to help complete strangers in a time of desperate need," an emotional Dion told the crowd.
Los Angeles Times notes that several artists have already made changes to their upcoming Las Vegas performances following the shooting. Country singer Jason Aldean, who was performing on stage when the gunman started firing on the audience, canceled multiple shows in Southern California to pay respect for the victims.
At least 59 were killed and more than 525 were injured in the incident. Stephen Paddock, 64, was identified as the sole gunman who used multiple assault rifles to shoot concertgoers from a high-rise hotel window. The barrage of gunfire lasted several minutes, with frightened music fans desperately cowering on the open venue. Paddock, who lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, later killed himself. While authorities investigating on the case believe he acted alone, his motive remains unknown.
