Ariana Grande Named Manchester Bombing Charity Patron, Auctions $5000 Tiara

Ariana Grande has been announced as the first patron of a charity raising money for the families of the horrific Manchester bombing and it’s looks like she’s now ready to start raising even more money after organizing her huge charity concert earlier this month.

Just over two weeks after Grande rounded up huge names including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Coldplay for her One Love Manchester benefit concert in the city, it was announced this week that Ariana is now the first official patron of the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

“Ariana exemplified Mancunian spirit,” the chair of the charity told BBC after making the patron announcement. “We are grateful to her for agreeing to be patron of this charity, which seeks to help everyone who was affected by the tragedy.”

Ariana has already helped to raise millions of dollars for the victims and their families after 22 people died and another 116 were injured after a suicide bomber detonated a nail bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena just minutes after Grande finished her concert in the British city on May 22.

Grande’s big charity concert brought in £3 million for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund when she took over Emirates Old Trafford stadium on June 4, while BBC is reporting that the charity has made a further £11.7 million for the victims and their families over the past few weeks.

But her benefit concert isn’t the only way Grande has been raising money for her fans after sharing photos with the injured in hospital on Instagram earlier this month.

Ariana reportedly raised more than $458,000 for the charity with just one tweet after posting a link to the site’s JustGiving page on May 26 according to UnrealityTV, while NME reported that her record label, Universal Music, gave the fund another $500,000.

It’s been reported that Grande has also offered to pay for the funerals of the 22 people – including at least one child and several teenagers – who lost their lives in the horrific attack.

The news comes amid reports that Grande is in the process of auctioning off a bedazzled tiara she wore in promotional shots for her 2016 album Dangerous Woman, though it’s not thought that the proceeds will go to the charity fund.

Ariana is asking for $5,000 for the jewelry – which she originally bought for $675 – according to Women’s Wear Daily, as the outlet revealed this week that the piece is being auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions.

It’s thought the tiara was co-signed for auction before the Manchester attack.

A spokesperson for the auctioneers confirmed this week that the proceeds from Ariana’s tiara will not be donated to charity, though it’s not clear how much say Ariana has over the proceeds after co-signing.

It’s also not yet clear if the auctioneer will change their mind and donate the money to the Manchester victims in the wake of the attack and the announcement that Grande is now the charity’s official patron.

What do you think of Ariana Grande being named We Love Manchester Emergency Fund’s official patron? Should the tiara $5,000 from the sale of the tiara be donated to the charity?

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]