Galaxy of stars to come out for Ray Charles tribute Thu Sep 23, 3:07 AM ET LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A galaxy of stars including actor Denzel Washington, comedian Bill Cosby and singer Stevie Wonder will join in a glittering tribute to late soul genius Ray Charles, organisers said. Former US president and jazz aficionado Bill Clinton will be one of the co-chairs of the star-studded gala in Beverly Hills on September 29, but is not expected to attend as he is recovering from heart surgery. But such luminaries as movie star Samuel Jackson, music mogul Quincy Jones, filmmaker Spike Lee, and actor Jamie Foxx, who portrays Charles in an upcoming biopic, will attend the event that Cosby will preside over. The gala is aimed at raising funds for a new performing arts centre to be built at a men's college in Atlanta, in Charles' beloved Georgia, that will bear the musical legend's name, Charles' former spokesman said. Music mogul David Geffen has kicked off the drive to build the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College with a half-million dollar donation, spokesman Jerry Digney said. Before his death of liver disease on June 10, Charles, who would have turned 74 on Thursday, donated a total of two million dollars to the college to help inspire a new generation of musical pioneers. Both Stevie Wonder and Charles's longtime friend and collaborator Jones paid tribute to the musician at the gospel-bathed funeral in Los Angeles of the man dubbed the "Genius of Soul." The latest tribute to the musician came as his final album, "Genius Loves Company," a collection of duets sung with some of his famous friends, shot to number 2 on Billboard music chart following its August 31 release. The album which features Charles performing with stars such as Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones and Willie Nelson, is now in fourth spot after selling more than 113,000 copies. Accolades and the reminiscences have flooded the musical and entertainment world since his death a little over 100 days ago. In addition to the feature film "Ray," starring Foxx as the blind musician and due for release in North America next month, a concert featuring the likes of Usher, Norah Jones and Mary J. Blige, Wonder, Elton John, and B.B. King will be recorded in Los Angeles on October 8. The show, titled "Genius: A Night For Ray Charles," will be broadcast by CBS television on an as yet undetermined date. During a career spanning more than 53 years, Charles won 13 of music's highest awards, the Grammys, made more than 250 recordings and transformed the genre of soul music forever.