Sir Elton John halted his concert in Toronto on Thursday night to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
The British monarch died at her home in Balmoral, Scotland, on September 8 at the age of 96.
Speaking to the crowd, the 75-year-old said: “She was an inspiring presence to be around… she was fantastic.”
“She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace and decency and a genuine caring warmth.”
“I’m 75 and she’s been with me all my life and I feel very sad that she won’t be with me anymore, but I’m glad she’s at peace, and I’m glad she’s at rest and she deserves it.”
“She worked bloody hard. I send my love to her family. She’ll be missed… but we’ll celebrate her life tonight with you, OK?”
The singer then launched into a rendition of his 1974 track Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, while images of the Queen were displayed on the screens.
Elton John pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth on her passing Toronto 2022 #EltonJohn #QueenElizabethII #Toronto pic.twitter.com/pe91kRr8nh
— Shawn Maclean (@Rincon650Shawn) September 9, 2022
Elton, who was knighted by the Queen in 1998, also took to social media to pay tribute to her.
“Along with the rest of the nation, I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s passing,” he wrote.
“She was an inspiring presence to be around, and lead the country through some of our greatest, and darkest, moment with grace, decency and a genuine caring warmth.”
“Queen Elizabeth has been a huge part of my life from childhood to this day, and I will miss her dearly.”
