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March 25 (UPI) -- The Michael Jackson estate has announced plans to donate $300,000 towards COVID-19 relief efforts through three different charities. The estate will be giving $100,000 each to Broadway Cares, the Three Square Food Bank in Nevada and MusiCares.
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"This virus strikes at the heart of the communities we are close to," co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate John Branca and John McClain said in a statement Wednesday.
"We learned today that the legendary Manu Dibango passed away from the virus. Other performers and support staff in music and on Broadway are sick or have been left without work and are facing an uncertain future. And in Las Vegas, which has been so welcoming to Michael Jackson, the entire city has been shut down leaving thousands of workers and their families devastated and without an income," they continued.
The donation towards Broadway Cares will help support entertainment and performing arts professionals. A Broadway play based on the singer's life titled MJ the Musical, is set to open July 6 at the Neil Simon Theater in New York.
The Three Square Food Bank will be able to provide 300,000 meals to those in need using the donation. Michael Jackson ONE, produced by Cirque du Soleil, is a popular show that runs in Las Vegas.
MusiCares was started by the Recording Academy. The charity's COVID-19 relief fund will help those in the music industry affected by the virus and the cancellation of multiple music events.
Dibango, a jazz great, died on Tuesday at the age of 86. He was best known for his 1972 hit song "Soul Makossa" which was famously sampled in Jackson's 1982 song "Wanna Be Startin' Something."
