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Feb. 23 (UPI) -- George Michael's Wham! partner Andrew Ridgely along with backup singers Pepsi and Shirlie joined Coldplay's Chris Martin onstage at the 2017 Brit Awards to pay tribute to the late icon. "On Christmas Day 2016, the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation, an icon of his era, and my beloved friend, George Michael, was lost," Ridgely said onstage alongside Pepsi and Shirlie.
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"A supernova in a firmament of shining stars had been extinguished and it felt like the sky had fallen in. It started out ordinarily enough. In 1975 we were two boys who happened to share a mutual sense of humor, a love of life-affirming music, the artists and record it gave birth to, and a shared sense that we understood it," he continued.
"His voice was stunning, pitch-perfect, and his performances spell-binding. George, Andrew, and Shirlie changed my life by choosing me to join Wham!" added Pepsi while Shirlie fighting back tears said, "Anyone who asked for George's help eventually got it ... George was like a brother to me and I will always be so proud of his incredible achievements."
Ridgely then introduced Martin as "one of the finest singer-songwriters of his generation" before the Coldplay frontman performed Michael's "A Different Corner."
Halfway through the performance, archive footage of Michael performing the song appeared which allowed Martin to harmonize with the legendary singer.
Recently, Adele paid tribute to Michael at the Grammys where she restarted her performance noting, "I can't mess this up for him."
