Janet Jackson pays public tribute to Michael

Janet Jackson has paid tribute to her late brother Michael during her first public appearance since he passed away on Thursday.

The singer took to the stage at last night's BET Awards in Los Angeles to express her family's gratitude for the support that they have received in the wake of Jackson's death.

"My entire family wanted to be here tonight. But it was just too painful," she explained.

"So they elected me to speak with all of you and I’m going to keep it very short but I’d just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family."

She went on to say that the 'Thriller' star would "live forever in all of our hearts" and that the family wanted to thank his fans "for all of your love and support".

"We miss him so much," she added. "Thank you so much."

Her speech was followed by Ne-Yo and Jamie Foxx performing Jackson's track 'I'll Be There'. Other stars who paid tribute to the late singer included Bobby Brown, who performed a Jackson 5 medley, and Ciara who sang 'Heal The World'.