Celebrities including Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade and Ludacris secretly donate to fund for a gay teen who killed himself after being bullied, as his mother shares videos of the horse and carriage arriving at his funeral
- Nigel Shelby, 15, took his own life April 18 after struggling with his identity
- His mother said he battled depression and dealt with homophobic bullying
- GoFundMe page raised $39,740 of a $26,000 goal for his funeral costs
- But Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wayne, Ludacris, Janelle Monae, Lena Waithe and Pinky Cole reportedly donated an undisclosed amount to the teen's parent
- Mother Camika Quintay shared clips from the funeral Saturday, featuring a horse-drawn carriage, balloon and butterfly release ceremonies
- Madison County Deputy Jeff Graves was placed on administrative leave over his Facebook comments about Shelby
- Deputy said LGBTQ people are offensive and shouldn't be accepted
Celebrities have pulled together to help financially support the mother of an Alabama teenage boy who died by suicide after being bullied for being gay.
Nigel Shelby, 15, took his own life two weeks ago and his mother Camika Quintay has said he struggled with depression as he battled homophobic bullying in the lead-up to his death on April 18.
While a GoFundMe page shows $39,740 of a $26,000 goal was raised for Shelby's funeral and memorial, TMZ reports the likes of Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wayne, rapper-and-actor Ludacris, and singer Janelle Monae made sure everything was covered.
The amount that some stars donated has not been disclosed, but the GoFundMe page shows one anonymous donor gave $7,899, and it appears that Master of None actress Lena Waithe donated $5,000.
Led by Atlanta's popular Slutty Vegan restaurant owner Pinky Cole, the big names raised funds to pay for the tombstone, funeral service and more money to support the mother.
Nigel Shelby, 15, took his own life April 18 after struggling with his identity
Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wayne were some of the stars who donated to a fund for the boy. Weeks before Shelby passed away actress Union had attended Miami Pride with her stepson, basketball star Wade's son Zion (pictured)
Mother Camika Quintay shared clips from the funeral Saturday, featuring a horse-drawn carriage, balloon and butterfly release ceremonies
None of the celebrities have publicly revealed information about the donations.
Quintay shared footage of the funeral on Saturday. In video clips she is seen riding atop the horse-drawn carriage pulling Shelby's coffin. Attendees also took part in balloon and butterfly release ceremonies.
'My love and I took our last ride together in a horse& carriage all the way down the parkway and to his final resting place,' Quintay captioned the clip.
In the days following the loss she shared with social media followers how Shelby had full coverage health insurance but no life insurance.
She said she was skeptical about creating a crowdfunding page because she has 'never been into handouts or asking anyone for anything'.
Attendees also took part in balloon and butterfly release ceremonies at the funeral
A GoFundMe page raised $39,740 of a $26,000 goal for his funeral costs
His mother said he battled depression and dealt with homophobic bullying before he died
'I knew I had to swallow my pride and seek help to give my baby the proper home going,' she posted.
Weeks before Shelby passed away, actress Union had attended Miami Pride with her stepson, basketball star Wade's son Zion.
Actress Gabrielle Union and retired basketball star Dwyane Wade are said to have chipped in with financial costs after Shelby's death, helping to pay for a tombstone
Janelle Monae and Lena Waithe are among the stars who reportedly gathered to donate to the boy's mother
Rapper-and-actor Ludacris is among those who gave money but the amount was not disclosed
The celebrity support came after Madison County Deputy Jeff Graves commented on a WZDX-TV Facebook post about the suicide of Shelby: 'Liberty Guns Bible Trump BBQ That's my kind of LGBTQ movement.'
Deputy Graves wrote about people's reactions to Shelby's suicide that he is 'seriously offended' by the very existence of the LGBTQ movement.
'Society cannot and should not except [sic] this behavior,' the married father-of-three officer continued. 'I have a right to be offended and will always be offended by this fake movement which requires no special attention but by persons with an altered ego and fake agenda.'
Graves has since deleted his comments, as Al.com reported.
Madison County Deputy Jeff Graves (left) has been placed on administrative leave over his Facebook comments mocking and disparaging the LGBTQ community
Shelby's family said he killed himself after being bullied for his sexuality.
Belle's Smokin' BBQ in northern Kentucky provoked backlash by advertising T-shirts with a nearly identical slogan: 'I support LGBTQ: Liberty, Guns, Bible, Trump, BBQ.'
Jamie Smith, the owner of the barbecue truck in Williamson, Kentucky, later issued an apology for misusing the LGBTQ acronym, but continued accepting orders for the shirts.
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Belle's Smokin' BBQ in northern Kentucky provoked backlash this week by advertising T-shirts with a slogan nearly identical to what Graves had written on Facebook (left). Jamie Smith, the owner of the barbecue truck (right), later had to apologize
