Pharrell Williams joins board of New York's legendary Apollo Theater

Hip-hop superstar Pharrell Williams has been appointed to the board of directors at New York's iconic Apollo Theater.

The Happy hitmaker made his debut on the legendary Apollo stage in June (14), when he introduced a global audience to the venue by live-streaming his American Express Unstaged concert, which was directed by Spike Lee.

Now he has been invited to join venue bosses in the boardroom, where one of their main campaigns will be to raise $20 million in funds to modernise the 101-year-old theatre's facilities.

In a statement, Williams writes, "The Apollo Theater embodies a tremendous amount of music history. (I am) so excited to help preserve, and expand, its legacy in American culture."

Williams is one of six new members, alongside business magnate Robert Kraft, chairman of the Kraft Group and owner of the New England Patriots football team. The new additions boost the board membership figure to 32.