Holiday cheer is contagious.
Days after actor and director Tyler Perry dropped more than $400,000 to pay off all the layaway items at two Atlanta-area Walmarts, musician Kid Rock followed suit in his adopted hometown of Nashville, reportedly playing Santa for hundreds of families.
“Great idea!” the rap-rocker wrote in response to a tweet by Perry about his own kind deed. “I followed your lead and paid off the layaway at my local Walmart in Nashville. Merry Christmas and God Bless You!”
True to his word, Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, forked over about $81,000 to pay down every last layaway balance — covering some 350 accounts — at a Walmart in the Music City, according to The Tennessean.
Kid Rock called the big-box store Friday to explain his plan, then sent his manager by later in the day to fork over the hefty sum, the paper reported.
Each person who benefited from the not-so-secret Santa is also being a handed a card that reads, “Merry Christmas from your neighbor! -Kid Rock.”