Pop star Rihanna put family first on Saturday after jetting into New York to visit her beloved grandmother in hospital.

The "Umbrella" singer hopped on a plane from New Orleans, Louisiana to see her maternal grandmother Clara 'Dolly' Braithwaite, who is reportedly being treated for cancer in the Big Apple.

She took to her Twitter page to share a touching black-and-white photo of herself hugging Braithwaite in her hospital bed, writing, "Came to NY, just for this moment right here!"

However, Rihanna's trip was short-lived - she had to fly back to Los Angeles and tweeted, "Bye NY. From N.O to N.Y to L.A (in) less than 24 hrs. Roc (sic) star s**t ."