Trent Reznor Raises Over $850,000 for Man's Heart Transplant

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has spread goodwill via the internet before by giving out backstage passes to his most loyal fans through random giveaways. Now, that generosity pales in comparison to the $850,000 he helped raise for a man's heart transplant by making Twitter followers aware of the situation.

Eric De La Cruz, a 27-year-old resident of Las Vegas and a Nine Inch Nails fan, is suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that will cause his death soon if he doesn't receive a heart transplant. He was turned down for the transplant last in because he is on Medicaid, which won't pay for the procedure, and private insurance won't cover him because of his preexisting condition. His only options were to get on Federal Medicare, which denied his request, or pay for the transplant himself.

Veronica De La Cruz, Eric's sister and a former CNN anchor, took to the media and her Twitter account to spread awareness of Eric's plight, and that's when Reznor joined the cause. He began offering prizes for people who donated money through the Nine Inch Nails website -- $300 gets access to soundcheck and a quick meeting with the band, $1,000 gets you dinner and backstage passes with the band, and $1,200 gave fans two tickets and VIP access. The response was so overwhelming that Reznor ran out of room for VIPs and is now offering a signed Tony Hawk skateboard and an autographed CD of NIN's rarest release, 'Still.'

As of yesterday morning, Reznor announced on his Twitter feed that $858,628.30 had been raised, writing, "We had no idea this would generate THIS MUCH interest and simply can't accommodate any more people. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP." Eric's sister announced that he is now on the list for a transplant but his health is deteriorating while he is in the hospital waiting. You can follow her updates here.