Elton John paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at his Toronto concert following the late monarch's death on Thursday at the age of 96.
"Well of course you know today we had the saddest news about the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth," he said onstage at the evening show. "She was an inspiring presence to be around and I've been around her and she was fantastic. She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency and a genuine care and warmth."
The remarks echoed a post on his official Twitter account earlier in the day, in which he called the queen "an inspiring presence to be around."
"Queen Elizabeth has been a huge part of my life from childhood to this day, and I will miss her dearly," he wrote.
Read the rest of his message, below.
Carolyn McArdle talked about it on the air. Listen below...