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Rocker Jack White pays tax bill to save Detroit Masonic Temple

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FILE - This Sept. 18, 2009 file photo shows musician Jack White taking part in a news conference in Toronto.  The operators of Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple announced Tuesday, June 4, 2013, that White made a $142,000 donation to cover the delinquent t

FILE - This Sept. 18, 2009 file photo shows musician Jack White taking part in a news conference in Toronto. The operators of Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple announced Tuesday, June 4, 2013, that White made a $142,000 donation to cover the delinquent tax bill for the prominent music venue that has hosted such groups as The Who and the Rolling Stones over the decades. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

Darren Calabrese, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Although he didn't want anyone to know it was him, everyone now does.

The Detroit Free Press and CNN report former White Stripes frontman and Detroit native Jack White anoynomously donated $142,000 to the Detroit Masonic Temple to cover the hefty tax bill levied against it.

According to CNN’s local affiliate WXYX, the church was facing foreclosure when an unknown donor stepped in to pay the bill.

On Tuesday, Masonic Temple officials revealed in a statement that White was the donor who helped save the building, and as a result the Temple's Cathedral Theater will be re-named the Jack White Theater.

"We could not be more humbled to bestow this honor upon Jack," the president of the Detroit Masonic Temple Association, Roger Sobran, said in a statement. "Jack’s donation could not have come at a better time and we are eternally grateful to him for it. Jack’s magnanimous generosity and unflinching loyalty to this historic building and his Detroit roots is appreciated beyond words."

The statement also said White's mother worked there as an usher when the musician was growing up.

Rolling Stone reports White was the suspected secret donor of $170,000 in 2009 to repair a baseball field where he used to play.

Editor's Note: The original version of this story posted on June 6, 2013, failed to properly attribute all source materials, which violates our editorial policies. The story was revised on Oct. 8, 2013 to link to original source material.