MDA telethon brings in $61.5 million

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The 2011 Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, broadcast from Las Vegas, raised $61.5 million to fight the disease, the group said in a release Monday.

The 46th annual Labor Day telethon, broadcast internationally over 6 prime-time hours Sunday, featured performances by Celine Dion, Lady Antebellum, Boyz II Men, Martina McBride and others, with appearances by Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Whoopi Goldberg and other celebrities, the release said.

The benefit opened with hosts making remarks about 85-year-old comedian Jerry Lewis, the telethon's longtime host who stepped down from the position without explanation in May. Later on, Dion paid tribute to her "dear friend Jerry Lewis," and sang "Open Arms."

Lewis has battled various health problems over the years.

"We're so grateful to everyone who made this amazing outcome possible," said MDA President and Chief Executive Officer Gerald C. Weinberg.  "Kudos must go to our four outstanding telethon co-hosts, to the entertainment icons performing and making persuasive appeals, to our incredible cause-marketing partners, to more than 150 television stations comprising the 'Love Network,' and to generous Americans in every community. Together, we've confirmed that prime-time is where our telethon can achieve the most for the families we serve."

MDA raised $61,491,393, up from the $58,919,838 achieved during last year's 21.5-hour telethon and the biggest total since the beginning of the global recession in 2008.

"The tremendous success of the telethon, even in a tough economy where some communities are also being challenged by natural disasters, shows that America understands and appreciates the truly rapid progress being made by MDA-funded researchers worldwide," Dr. R. Rodney Howell, chairman of the MDA board of directors, said.