Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Festival Raises $20 Million

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Olivia Rodrigo generated an impressive $10 million through the first Daisy Chain Fields Festival. The final amount then reached $20 million after philanthropist Melinda French Gates pledged to match the original total.

Before beginning her headline performance at the festival in Irvine, California, on Saturday, Rodrigo thanked the audience for supporting the event. She announced that the festival, which featured a strong lineup including Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Garbage and several others, had collected $10 million. Rodrigo then shared that Gates had donated an additional $10 million, raising the combined figure to $20 million.

“Daisy Chain Fields is about what can happen when we come together and use our collective power to support one another,” Rodrigo said. “I’m incredibly grateful to Melinda and Pivotal for believing in this mission and making the impact of our first festival twice as powerful. Most of all, I’m so excited about what this means for the incredible organizations we’re supporting and the women, girls and communities they show up for every single day.”

Gates appeared alongside Rodrigo onstage and praised the singer for the charitable work behind Daisy Chain Fields. “Olivia Rodrigo is a force,” French Gates said. “What Daisy Chain Fields sets in motion will last far beyond a single night, by opening up opportunity for women and girls around the world and showing a new generation how much their voices matter. I’m so proud to support Olivia’s vision.”

The full $20 million will be divided evenly among 10 nonprofit groups that provide support to women and girls. The selected organisations are Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeForm, Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood.

Festival visitors also watched performances from Bikini Kill, Eli, Mitski, Not for Radio, Rachel Chinouriri, Santigold, the Breeders and many more artists. During the event, attendees were invited to discover more about the supported nonprofit groups through Daisy Chain Reaction, an initiative that provided information about their work and individual causes.

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Freddie Jackson Passes Away Just Days After Turning 70

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Freddie Jackson, the R'n'B singer behind You Are My Lady and Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake), has died at the age of 70.

He passed away on Monday (05.10.26), just three days after celebrating his 70th birthday. A cause of death has not been announced.

Announcing his death on social media, his family wrote: "It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Freddie Jackson, who went home to rest last night.

"Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends, and his music with everything he had. For decades, he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations, and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on forever.

"To everyone who ever sang along, danced, or felt something when Freddie took the stage: thank you. You were family to him, and he carried your love with him always.

"Please keep his family, friends, and loved ones in your prayers during this difficult time. Details regarding arrangements and how to honor his legacy will be shared in the coming days.

"Rest in peace, Freddie. Your legacy and your voice will live on forever."

Freddie began his professional music journey in the late 1970s as a member of California funk band Mystic Merlin. He later moved back to the East Coast and found his direction in R'n'B.

A string of successful releases in the mid 1980s established him as one of the genre’s leading singers. Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake), You Are My Lady, Have You Ever Loved Somebody, Jam Tonight and Do Me Again became some of his best known songs and earned him a lasting presence on the US charts.

His career also extended to cinema. He joined Irene Cara for the duet Love Survives, featured in the 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven, and later made an acting appearance in the cult crime drama King of New York.

Freddie continued making music for decades, with his last album, Love Signals, arriving in 2018. He followed it in 2020 with Why, a single addressing racial injustice.

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