Frail Ray Charles at LA ceremony

Actor Clint Eastwood also attended the L.A ceremony

The recording complex built by soul legend Ray Charles in a rundown corner of Los Angeles in 1964 has been designated an historic monument.

A frail Charles attended the ceremony in a wheelchair, following his recent hip replacement surgery.

"I'm a little weak now, but I'm gonna get stronger," said the singer, 73.

Charles has been out of the public eye for almost a year. Complications with his hip surgery forced him to call off a performance in New York last month.

Denial

Charles' longtime colleague, Joe Adams, denied a recent tabloid newspaper report which claimed the singer was dying of liver cancer, but admitted the star had slowed down.

"I don't know whether he'll go back out again or not," he said, when asked if Charles would tour again.

"He wants to get out there now, because that his communication. It's his therapy.

"But he'll be 74 in September and it's kind of adding up."

Charles has won 13 Grammys during the course of his career

Charles, who has been blind since the age of six, is considered a pioneer of soul music with hits including Georgia on My Mind and I Can't Stop Loving You.

Despite recent ill health, he has been working on a CD of duets with performers such as Elton John, Norah Jones and Johnny Mathis.

The album is due to be released at the end of the summer.