Ne-Yo pays musical tribute to Robin Williams

Grammy Award winning singer Ne-Yo paid tribute to late actor-comedian Robin Williams, who made his way into the hearts of millions across the globe with his various characters, at the Disney Legends Awards ceremony here.

The tribute was paid at the award ceremony on Friday, the first day of D23 Expo 2015. The event, where Disney fans flock to from all over the world, is being held in Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim here.

"We miss a very very gifted Robin Williams. He was all about spreading joy and laughter and setting new standards for comedy work in films, TV, live action and animation.

"And today in honour of Robin, we are doing a world premier of song 'Friend like me' from the upcoming 'We Love Disney' album," Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said at the award ceremony.

The tribute was not gloomy, but was an effervescent affair.

The "Miss Independent" hitmaker took the stage amid loud applause with streams of lively and peppy music, and asked the audience to join in by clapping to the beats of the song.

The singer-songwriter looked chic in a dark suit, but what grabbed the attention of the audience was his stylish hat.

Williams, who featured in a string of comedy films like "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Night at the Museum" and "Aladdin", was found dead at his home in California on August 11, 2014.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Disney. Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)