Cher drops out of TV movie on Flint water crisis
The actress says a "family issue" prevents her from filming the Lifetime movie.
— -- Just days after it was announced that Cher would be starring in and producing a new Lifetime movie about the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, the star has pulled out.
Earlier today, the 66-year-old Oscar-winning actress released a statement saying she will be unable to participate in the film, which was due to begin shooting in Toronto next month, because of a "serious family issue."
"This has been a project so near and dear to my heart and I was truly looking forward to helping tell this story. Unfortunately, I will be unable to leave Los Angeles during the scheduled filming as I am dealing with a serious family issue that prevents me from going on location for the April filming," Cher said in the statement obtained by ABC News.
"I’m so glad that Craig and Neil [producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron] plan to move ahead and I know that this Lifetime movie will be done beautifully," she stated.
Called "Flint," the movie is inspired by a Time magazine cover story about three women from Flint who tried to expose the mishandling of the city's water supply, which lead to the residents unknowingly drinking contaminated water. The women's actions inspired a national call for safe drinking water.
Cher became involved in the issue before the TV movie. In early 2016, the star teamed up with Icelandic Glacial spring water to donate more than 181,000 bottles of water to the residents of Flint.
ABC News Radio contributed to this report