Lady GaGa Gives $1 Million to Help Sandy Relief Effort

Photo credit: Andres Otero/WENN

Lady GaGa is determined to help victims of superstorm Sandy get their lives back to normal as the pop superstar donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for the hurricane relief efforts on Wednesday, November 7. The singer's birthplace is New York City and, thus, she has a soft spot for the devastated area.

"Today I pledge 1 million dollars to New York & The American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief. If it wasn't for NYC: the Lower Eastside, Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn, I would not be the woman or artist that I am today," wrote the "Born This Way" hitmaker on littlemonsters.com.

"New York is relentless ambition, a drive to succeed, a place where there is a natural pursuit of diversity through compassion. Thank you for helping me build my spirit. I will now help you rebuild yours. Sincerely, Lady Gaga and The Germanottas."

Other celebrities also pitched in their donations for the hurricane victims. Actors/comedians Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin and Russell Crowe, as well as music mentor Simon Cowell all gave their donations to help various relief efforts in New York and the outpouring of support shows no sign of slowing down.

Meanwhile, after making her $1million pledge, GaGa hit the beach at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was spotted showing off her curves under the hot Brazilian weather. The singer was obviously confident and proud of her body as she wore a turquoise bikini top with matching bottoms and a floral sari. At one point, she was seen getting topless on a balcony and clinging to a coconut to cover her bare breast.