Mariah Carey pays tribute to Prince at Paris gig

Pop star Mariah Carey paid an emotional tribute to her friend Prince during her concert in Paris.

The Purple Rain icon, 57, was found dead at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota on Thursday, and news of his death shocked fans and friends alike, many of whom took to social media to share their condolences, reported Billboard.

Among them was Carey, who tweeted a picture of herself along side Prince, adding the caption, "Genius, legend, inspiration, friend. The world will miss you. I'll never get over it."

Hours after she posted the tribute, she took the stage at the AccorHotels Arena in France, as part of her The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour.

Still mourning her friend, Carey took a moment in the middle of her concert to honour Prince, telling the audience, "So it's a very sad day but we remember the life of somebody who will always be treasured."

The star continued to praise the music icon, adding, "He was a friend to me too and he talked me through some times I really, really needed somebody and he was an incredible person if you didn't ever get to meet him and I'm sure his music touched every single person in here. So, let's have a moment of silence for Prince if we could please."

Carey then dedicated her chart-topping hit with "Boyz II Men", "One Sweet Day to Prince", a song which deals with the loss of a loved one.

In addition to Carey's touching performance, soul star Stevie Legend also paid a musical tribute to Prince during an appearance on US news programme Anderson Cooper 360.

He also played a piano rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain."

While the cause of his death is still unknown, officials from the Midwest Medical Examiner's office confirmed they have received Prince's body and an autopsy will be performed today.