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George Michael was the inspiration for James Corden's Carpool Karaoke.

There has been a flood of heartfelt social media tributes to music legend George Michael, who passed away in his home this morning, aged 53.

Among them was one from comedian James Corden, describing the Wham! singer as an “absolute inspiration” who was always ahead of his time.

In fact, it was Michael who inspired The Late Late Show host’s hilarious segment Carpool Karaoke, in which he drives celebrities around as they sing along to his car radio.

Earlier this year, Corden explained to Stephen Colbert how the pair had come up with the idea as a sketch for Comic Relief back in 2012.

“My original idea was to pick George Michael up from prison in a car,” Corden said in the interview on The Late Show.

“And then we realised maybe we’ll lose the prison aspect. But what if there’s still some fun for me and George to be in the car and we’ll sing some Wham! songs?

“There was something just very joyful about it.”

Their bit was a total hit, obviously, and four years later when Corden landed his own show he decided to recycle the idea as a regular segment.

You can watch the whole thing here (post continues after video…):

While the cause of Michael’s death has yet to be confirmed, it is not being treated as suspicious.

“It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period,” his publicist said in a statement.

Feature image via Twitter