Sir Elton John had crowds in tears after paying tribute to his long-time friend George Michael during a concert in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The star performed a rendition of Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, which he had previously sung as a duet with the late singer, who passed away on Christmas Day. Following the performance, Elton looked visibly upset and turned his back to the audience to compose himself. A fan at the show told the Daily Mail: "Elton had sung a song in memory of John Lennon when he spoke about George Michael. After he sang for George, he turned his back on the audience and was shaking and looked like he was crying. I was in tears and so was everyone around me. There were thousands of us in tears and it was very emotional. He received a standing ovation and had to be consoled by a band member before beginning the rest of the show. There wasn't a dry eye in the house."
Elton sat behind a piano as he passionately performed the song with a band while beaming a huge image of George onto the set behind him. A fan captured the emotional performance and posted it to Instagram, captioning the video: "#EltonJohn tonight in #Vegas with his tribute to #GeorgeMichael #rip."
Elton originally posted a tribute to George on his Instagram account, writing: "I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family, friends and all of his fans." While it is thought that the 69-year-old will be singing at George's funeral, which will take place at Highgate cemetery in London, it has also been reported that many friends and colleagues of the former Wham! band member are already in the early stages of planning to put on a charity concert in tribute to him, with names including Aretha Franklin and George's friend and Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley interested in participating.
Elton shared a photo of himself with George