At Elton John's concert in Toronto, Canada, a few hours after her death, Queen Elizabeth II was seen again as most will probably remember her.

While John recalled the monarch's "grace, decency and sincere warmth" on stage at the Rogers Centre, she beamed larger than life from two screens: in a lavender blazer with a diamond brooch, a flowered hat and a wide smile.

"I'm 75 and she's been with me my whole life.

I'm very sad that she isn't anymore," the British singer told tens of thousands of fans in front of the stage.

John, who has close ties to the royal family, was knighted by the Queen in the spring of 1998 for his services to music and charitable causes such as AIDS research.

A year earlier he had met Diana, Princess of Wales,

the first wife of the new King Charles III, honored after her accidental death with the title "Candle In The Wind (Goodbye England's Rose)".

John had also planned a musical farewell for Queen Elizabeth II.

After offering his condolences to the family, he sang "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", also a nod to the era of Queen Victoria and the then-popular proverb of the realm where the sun never sets.

In Hollywood, meanwhile, all social media dams broke.

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen.

She dedicated her life to the country and to serving the people," wrote singer Diana Ross, recalling her performance at the jubilee in early June.

Barbra Streisand, Oscar winner with more than 60 years of stage experience, had also met the queen.

“She was a constant for all of us.

Respected all over the world," the actress and singer shared alongside a photo she showed at the premiere of the movie Funny Girl with the Queen in 1975.

"She was a role model"

Stars like Dua Lipa and Hailey Bieber refrained from many words and posted black and white pictures from the younger years of the deceased.

The actress and presenter Whoopi Goldberg, who is considered to be rather hard-nosed in the American entertainment industry, was unusually emotional on Twitter.

13 years ago, "Queen Elizabeth" unexpectedly approached Goldberg at the Royal Variety Performance benefit gala.

“I was an American child on public housing and found myself in the company of the Queen of England.

I was floored," recalled the New Yorker, who grew up in the dreaded Chelsea Elliott Houses.

Abroad, the great grief for the queen may be perceived as strange, wrote the inventor of Harry Potter's apprentice, JK Rowling (57), on Twitter.

"But millions felt affection and respect for the woman who fulfilled her constitutional role without complaint for 70 years." The Queen has drawn a red thread through the lives of most Britons.

"She became an enduring, positive symbol of Britain around the world."

Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened" by the Queen's death.

In a telegram to the new King Charles III, which the church news portal "Vatican News" reported on Thursday evening, the Catholic Church leader praised the Queen's "unshakeable faith".

Her life was determined "by serving the good of the nation and the Commonwealth".

She gave "an example of fulfilling her duty".

"An Unparalleled Legacy"

British actress Helen Mirren, who said she was "proud to be an Elizabethan" for her portrayal of the Queen in the 2006 film The Queen.

"We mourn the loss of a woman who, with or without a crown, was the epitome of refinement," she added.

James Bond film star Daniel Craig said in a statement the Queen will be "severely missed".

Craig, who appeared in a skit with Elizabeth during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, said the Queen was leaving an "unparalleled legacy".

Fashion icon and ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham

wrote on Twitter of a "very sad day for the whole world".

The Queen will be remembered for her "unwavering loyalty and devotion".

Singer and actress Barbra Streisand wrote on Instagram that Queen Elizabeth II was "respected worldwide".

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber

In a statement, Elizabeth II called Britain and the Commonwealth "the firm anchor" and "an inspiration to the world".

American pop icon Cher recalled her encounter with the Queen: "I was in a long line of people waiting to meet her.

Nonetheless, when she approached me, she asked pertinent questions and seemed genuinely interested in speaking to me.” Elizabeth II had a “great sense of humour,” she added.

Even fictional personalities joined in the chorus of tributes: Paddington, the famous bear from British children's books, who sipped tea with the Queen in a video celebrating the Queen's 70th jubilee, wrote in a message on Twitter: "Thanks for everything ma'am. "