Usher the Latest Star to Donate Gadhafi Money to Charity

You can add Usher's name to the growing list of celebrities who are washing their hands of money received to perform for members of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's family. The Middle Eastern leader has faced open revolt since February and was referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in a unanimous vote by the United Nations.

"I am sincerely troubled to learn about the circumstances surrounding the Nikki Beach St. Bart's event that took place on New Year's Eve 2009," Usher said in a statement Monday. "I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations."

Usher has already made an unknown donation to Amnesty International, the AP reports. Beyonce also performed at the same New Year's fete and reportedly donated her $1 million paycheck from the performance to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund over a year ago. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause," her rep said.

In 2008, Mutassim Gadhafi tapped Mariah Carey to sing at a New Year's Eve party and she also received $1 million. Carey said she was "naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess." While she hasn't mentioned donating the money, she did issue a warning to other artists: "Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows. Ultimately we as artists are to be held accountable."
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