Nelly mourns sister's death

Rap star Nelly was mourning the death yesterday of his big sister, whose three-year battle with leukemia inspired thousands of African-Americans to register as bone marrow donors.

Jacqueline Donahue, a mother of two, died at a St. Louis hospital where she was waiting for a bone marrow transplant. She was 31.

Nelly, who was born Cornell Haynes Jr., was performing in Austin, Texas, when he learned of his sister's death. He canceled another Texas concert last night to be with his family in St. Louis.

Jackie, who worked as her brother's stylist, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. Her cancer went into remission for two years, but she had a relapse in January 2003. With the help of her Grammy-winning brother, she and her family began the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign to recruit marrow donors and stress the need for African Americans to join the National Donor Registry.