Rockstar pays off 350 laybys for families weeks before Christmas

Christmas has come early for hundreds of families in the US after singer Kid Rock covered the remaining balances of their layby accounts at Walmart.

The rockstar spent more than $112,000 in the Tennessee store, following the lead of actor Tyler Perry, who recently paid off more than $590,000 in laybys at an Atlanta Walmart.

Store manager Tom Meyer said the rocker’s incredible gesture meant 350 customer accounts were all cleared in the weeks before Christmas.

Describing the payment as a “pretty Nashville proud moment”, Mr Meyer said Kid Rock called the store on Friday before his manager later came in to make the payments.

On Twitter, Kid Rock said “great idea!” in a nod to Perry, who had posted a video Thursday saying he had paid off layby balances at two Georgia Walmarts.

While Perry said his intentions were to remain anonymous, a Walmart spokeswoman confirmed the actor and director paid off the layby items at two stores in the Atlanta metro area.

“I know it’s a hard time, a lot of people are struggling and I’m just really, really grateful to be able to be in a position to do this,” Perry said in the video on Twitter.

“God Bless, go get your stuff, Merry Christmas.”