Lady Gaga and "Little Monsters" Donate $1.5 Million to Japan Relief

Lady Gaga, has donated $1.5 million total to the Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund and The American Red Cross. The money was raised through sales of the artist's Japan Prayer Bracelets. The bracelets sell for $5 each on her website. All proceeds from the purchase of the bracelets go to relief efforts, and buyers can also add an additional donation amount when purchasing.

The fundraising initiative is spearheaded by Zynga, which has also raised more than $2.5 million for the effort in the last two weeks.

Said Lady Gaga: "I'm inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy. What Zynga's players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I'm thrilled to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children and the American Red Cross."

Zynga had offered game players the opportunity to donate 100 percent of the purchase price of newly created virtual items to the fundraising effort. "We've seen our players show tremendous generosity when presented with opportunities to give back," said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder of Zynga. "We're very happy that Lady Gaga has chosen to donate to our fundraising efforts and hope our players take pride in what they've accomplished."

But Lady Gaga is not finished yet. She has announced a contest in which she will fly one fan who bought a Japan Prayer Bracelet to a show on The Monster Ball Tour. The fan will get to meet Lady Gaga as well. Interested? You can go to her website to find out more. And you can visit the following link directly to help provide disaster relief and support children affected by the disaster in Japan: http://www.savethechildren.org/japanzynga

Also see SlashGear's suggestions for how to help.

[via Zynga]