Russell Crowe Has Donated Money To Help Rebuild A Famous Restaurant Levelled In Last Week’s Beirut Explosions
The Gladiator star contributed $5,000 (£3,800) to a GoFundMe campaign, launched to aid construction at the damaged Le Chef, explaining he had late travel writer and chef Anthony Bourdain on his mind.
“On behalf of Anthony Bourdain. I thought that he would have probably done so if he was still around,” Russell wrote on Twitter. “I wish you and LeChef the best and hope things can be put back together soon.”
Bourdain, who died in 2018, was a big fan of the restaurant in the Lebanese capital. The restaurant had raised almost $15,000 within 24 hours of launching its fundraising campaign, after initially setting a goal of $13,000, and Russell was the biggest contributor by some way.
Russell confirmed he had made the transaction after fundraising organiser Richard Hall tagged him in a tweet while trying to track down the source of the large donation.
“Someone called Russell Crowe made a very generous donation to our Le Chef fundraiser,” he wrote. “But not sure it’s *the* @russellcrowe.”
The Weeknd and George Clooney and his wife Amal, who was born in the city, have also dug deep to donate to charities aiding those in need following the explosions, which claimed the lives of an estimated 220 people and left more than 6,000 injured. More than 300,000 people have been left homeless following the blast.