Elton John Wants To Hug Jay-z

Sir Elton John has promised to give Jay-Z a hug after the rapper said he was pro-gay marriage.

The 'Rocket Man' singer admitted that he made a personal phone call to Beyonce Knowles' husband after the revelation.

The 65-year-old singer told TV station MSNBC: ''Jay-Z, who's probably the most respected African-American artist, came out and said not only is it wrong to not have gay marriage, but any discrimination in life is wrong.

''It was an incredibly moving statement. I phoned him up in England and said, 'You have no idea what you've just said, how powerful this is.'

''The African-American society were a little apprehensive about this all along, and when you get someone who is a role model like Jay-Z to come out and say this... I take my hat off to him and I respect him so much for doing that.''

He added: ''When I next see him I'm going to give him the biggest hug.''

Jay-Z expressed his view in May when he became one of the biggest hip-hop stars to endorse American President Barack Obama's stance on the legalisation of same-sex unions.

He admitted: ''What people do in their own homes is their business... It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple.''