John Legend to unveil hometown theatre named in his honour

03 Oct 2016 |

Musician John Legend is set to perform in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio at the opening of a theatre named in his honour.The All of Me star is set to play a special set at the dedication ceremony for the recently renovated 680-seat venue, to be named the John Legend Theater, on 9 October (16).The Oscar and Grammy Award winner donated $500,000 (?389,000) towards the $2.5 million (?1.95 million) refurbishment of the theatre, which is in the city's Springfield Center of Innovation: The Dome, a community centre housing educational programs run by local schools and organisations.John himself went to one of the area's schools, graduating at the age of just 16 from Springfield North High School.Tickets to the star's dedication gig will not go on sale, with admission wristbands being distributed to selected teachers, staff members, community partners, more than 100 local students, and 200 will be given out to members of the public.

The Ordinary People singer has long been a dedicated philanthropist, with a particular focus on educational, environmental and anti-poverty programs.In April (16) the R&B star became a father for the first time, when wife Chrissy Teigen gave birth to a baby girl named Luna.After performing at an event raising funds for U2 frontman Bono's anti-AIDS charity Red, John revealed fatherhood had only increased his desire to transform the world."I would love for Luna to grow up in a world where no-one has to die from AIDS, I think that would be a beautiful thing and I think the Red campaign has helped us make progress so we can get to the point where no-one has to die from that disease," he told Hello! magazine.