An emotional tribute to George Michael was paid at the Brit awards.

Michael's former Wham! bandmates, Andrew Ridgeley, Shirlie Holliman and Pepsi DeMacque, recounted how Michael's death on Christmas Day at the age of 53 had deeply affected them.

“A supernova in a firmament of shining stars has been extinguished,” Ridgeley said.

“His beautiful voice will live on forever as a gift to us all,” DeMacque said.

Backed by a full orchestra, Coldplay's Chris Martin sang a cover of A Different Corner. Halfway through the song, Michael appeared on a video screen and the two men performed a duet.

Ridgeley added that Michael's “legacy will continue to shine and resonate for generations to come. George has left for us in his songs, in the transcendental beauty of his voice, in the poetic expression of his soul, the very best of himself.”