Tribute gig played for Peterson

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Pianist Herbie Hancock and singer Nancy Wilson were among a list of performers who paid tribute to the late jazz legend Oscar Peterson at a concert.

More than 2,000 fans attended the gig held in his honour at the Roy Thomson Hall in Canada which was free.

"I owe him everything. He's irreplaceable," Hancock said before playing a solo piano piece.

Peterson died at his home near Toronto in December of kidney failure at the age of 82.

Singer and pianist Stevie Wonder surprised the crowd by paying tribute to the star in a phone call which was played over the speakers.

"I am truly thankful to God that I was able to meet someone that I admired all my life," he said.

I don't call many people geniuses but Oscar Peterson is definitely one Quincy Jones

"The man played the piano so well that you could hear it sing, dance and feel every single note and chord," he added.

Wilson was reduced to tears as she sang a goodbye song to Peterson.

"Nobody who I have ever loved has left," the Grammy-winning jazz singer said. "They are always here."

Music impresario and record producer Quincy Jones recalled, as a teenager, hearing Peterson for the first time.

"I don't call many people geniuses but Oscar Peterson is definitely one," he said.

"I love being a part of a tribute to one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived," he added.

Nancy Wilson broke down on stage as she sang

Peterson's 16-year-old daughter Celine also took to the stage and told the crowd how she felt now her father was no longer with her.

"I miss his voice, his laugh, his sense of humour, the way he would say the perfect thing to make me feel happy," she said.

"There are no words to describe the pain that me and everybody else in my family feel and I know it will never go away," she added.

Peterson was one of jazz's most recorded musicians, and was famous for his fast-playing virtuoso style.

He made more than 200 albums and won eight Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement honour in 1997