photo credit: NIN Slave

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor was recently honored by various branches of New York government for his work leading a campaign to raise money for Eric De La Cruz, a Nevada fan who needed a heart transplant, according to a report on RollingStone.com

Both New York Senator Charles Schumer and Governor David Patterson wrote a letter thanking Reznor for his aid, which helped raise nearly a million dollars to assist De La Cruz with his medical expenses, according to the report.

The money was raised during a Nine Inch Nails’ tour with Jane’s Addiction, when both bands offered deluxe ticket packages that allowed fans to meet the groups before the show. All of the proceeds from these packages went straight to helping De La Cruz, who is the brother of former CNN anchor Veronica De La Cruz.

Reznor, known for albums like Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral, has been involved in other causes.  In 2006, he narrated a video for PETA, describing the cat and dog fur trade in China and urging viewers to avoid fur clothing.

The famously tech savy Reznor recently made headlines after exiting the social site Twitter after calling its users “idiots.”

UPDATE: Spinner reports that Eric De La Cruz passed away July 4, 2009. He had not yet been well enough to undergo transplant surgery. He was 27.