Rihanna Donates $1.75 Million In Memory Of Grandmother

It's going to be a healthier new year for a select group of Barbadians thanks to Rihanna. The pop mega-star has decided to celebrate the holidays by donating $1.75 million to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados. The donation was made in loving memory of her late grandmother, Clara "Dolly" Braithwaite, who passed away in June. This comes just weeks after Rihanna threw a listening party to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The sizable donation will be allocated entirely to the radiotherapy department, which will now be called the Clara Braithwaite Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine. Braithwaite died of cancer.

Goodbye #grangranDOLLY get your beauty rest until I see you

Regarding her motivation, Rihanna told E! News, "This was my way of giving back to Barbados, in a form of philanthropy, by assisting the QEH in its continued modernization program. ... I believe that this will have a huge impact on the people of Barbados. This was all done to save lives or at least extend them."

On Christmas Eve, the "Diamonds" singer attended an opening ceremony for the new wing of the hospital with her grandfather. Shortly thereafter, she posted an Instagram photo along with a tweet that read: "Me and grand pops in Barbados at the unveiling ceremony in memory of #granDolly at QEH."

Rihanna wasn't the only pop star to focus on philanthropy this year. 2012 saw Taylor Swift donate heaps of money to the Country Music Hall of Fame and to flood relief.