Sir Paul McCartney is urging fans to mark his birthday by sending donations to a cancer charity.

The Beatles legend turns 71 on Tuesday (18Jun13) and he decided to mark the occasion by launching a fundraising initiative in aid of Britain's The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, an organisation which helps the London hospital of the same name provide vital care.

A post on MCCartney's Twitter.com page, reads, "I have used my birthday to raise money for (The Royal Marsden)! Give a gift and donate to help cancer patients."

A message published on MCCartney's fundraising web page adds, "I'm donating my birthday for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity because they make life better for people with cancer... Please give them a gift on my birthday."

MCCartney's first wife, Linda, died after a battle with breast cancer in 1998.