Cher was moved to tears during Adam Lambert's rendition of her song "Believe", in a tribute to the music icon at the 41st annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Lambert paid homage to Cher, 72, with a stripped-back, ballad version of her hit song, and at one moment she was spotted wiping away tears as she listened to the moving performance, before joining the rest of the audience in a standing ovation.
Backed by a full orchestra, Lambert transformed "Believe" into an emotional, tear-jerking song that closed on one of his signature high notes.
She was also surprised when her friend and fellow artist Cyndi Lauper appeared on stage to perform a version of "If I Could Turn Back Time". Lauper and Lambert then sang a duet of Sonny & Cher song "I Got You Babe".
Following the show, which took place earlier this month but was broadcast by CBS this week, Cher said she was struggling to put into words how Lambert's performance had made her feel. She said she was "overwhelmed" and she could only feel with her heart.
Lambert replied by saying it was a "total honour" to perform one of her songs, and referred to the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award-winning artist "a goddess".
This year's Kennedy Center Honors also featured tributes to country star Reba McEntire, composer and pianist Philip Glass, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton.
