NELLY - NELLY DONATES CASH FOR DR KING MEMORIAL

Hip-hop star NELLY has donated $50,000 (GBP26,315) to help build a memorial honouring American civil rights icon DR MARTIN LUTHER KING.

The HOT IN HERRE rapper handed the cash over to the MARTIN LUTHER KING MEMORIAL PROJECT FOUNDATION to aid the construction of a memorial on the mall in Washington, DC.

Nelly says, "I think anytime you can be in conjunction with a great man such as Dr King, it's only right."

The memorial will cost almost $100 million (GBP52.6 million) to build and maintain, and organisers say they have already raised $65 million (GBP34.2 million). The foundation has until 2006 to collect the additional money.