Elton John paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II at his final Toronto show Thursday, calling her an 鈥渋nspiring鈥� presence in his life.

鈥淪he led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace and decency and genuine warmth,鈥� the British singer said midway through his concert.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad she鈥檚 at peace and I鈥檓 glad she鈥檚 at rest. She served and she worked bloody hard.鈥�

Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen had died at 96. She was the longest-serving British monarch and Canadian head of state.

鈥淲e celebrate her life tonight with music,鈥� John told the cheering crowd as he moved into a performance of his 1974 track 鈥淒on鈥檛 Let the Sun Go Down on Me.鈥�

The 75-year-old musician has many ties to the Royal Family.

In 1988, he was knighted by the Queen for his contributions to music and charitable organizations.

He鈥檚 also performed at numerous events for the royals, including the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, where he sang a rewritten version of his 1973 song 鈥淐andle in the Wind.鈥�

John鈥檚 Toronto concert was the second of two nights at Rogers Centre and part of Farewell Yellow Brick Road, billed as his final tour.

He鈥檒l play two further Canadian dates on Oct. 21 and 22 in Vancouver before eventually heading to Europe for shows into mid-2023.

John opened his concert dressed in a black suit with a bejewelled trim and a pink pair of glasses to match. Wasting little time, he slipped behind his grand piano to begin.

鈥淭his is my last ever concert in Toronto so I鈥檝e got to make it special,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have the very best time.鈥�

From there it was a night of familiar tunes, including a steady run of his classics, 鈥淭iny Dancer,鈥� 鈥淩ocket Man鈥� and 鈥淟evon鈥� among them. After each, he rose from his bench to receive thundering applause from the crowd with open arms and a toothy smile.

He used his encore to sing 鈥淐old Heart,鈥� the inescapable global hit that sent him and pop singer Dua Lipa to the top of the Canadian charts earlier this year.

鈥淐old Heart,鈥� which blends several of John鈥檚 older hits with an electronic beat by remixer Pnau, left him in the unusual position of sitting behind his piano without playing it. He decided to clap along to the beat as he sang the verses and encouraged the crowd to join in.

John scattered the show with references to his Canadian connections, pointing out that he planned to have lunch with one of his old school buddies who now lives in Toronto.

He took a moment to thank his Toronto-born husband David Furnish, with whom he has two children, proudly mentioning that both of the kids have Canadian passports.

And he assured everyone this would really be his final tour, saying he鈥檚 鈥渉ad enough applause in my life.鈥�

鈥淚 want to be with my family, come to Toronto and not have to work,鈥� he said.

Closing the show, John thanked the audience, pointing out several fans in elaborate Elton-inspired outfits, including one in a body suit reminiscent of the winged devil from his 2019 biopic 鈥淩ocketman鈥� and another in a sequined baseball uniform.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to forget you because I鈥檒l be coming back,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 just won鈥檛 be playing anymore.鈥�

鈥擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press