James Corden mourns 'Carpool Karaoke' pioneer George Michael

LOS ANGELES — James Corden says he feels like he has loved George Michael as long as he's loved music.

The "Late Late Show" host paid tribute to the late singer on his program Tuesday night. He showed a 2011 skit with Michael that he did for a charity event in their native England. The skit featured Michael and Corden singing in a car and was a precursor to Corden's wildly popular "Carpool Karaoke" segments.

Corden says he showed the skit to Mariah Carey in order to convince her to appear in his first "Carpool Karaoke" segment. Corden says Carey told him, "if it's good enough for George, then it's good enough for me."

Michael was found dead in his home in England on Christmas Day.