Florence & The Machine were joined by Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson to perform an Aretha Frankin tribute at the Grammy Awards last night.

Introduced by LL Cool J at the 53rd Grammy Awards in Los Angels last night, Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams, opened the Grammy ceremony with a medley of Franklin tunes.

Last year, Franklin was discharged from hospital after being treated for an undisclosed illness. Unconfirmed media reports claimed she was suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Franklin appeared in a video message after the performance: "I love you all. I wish I could have been there with all of you tonight. Thank you so much. I love you".

(by Holly Frith)