American Music Awards: Stevie Wonder Pays Tribute to Dick Clark (Video)

The 40th annual American Music Awards dedicated much of its broadcast to nostalgic moments, including clips of Michael and Janet Jackson, *NSYNC, Whitney Houston and Will Smith performing as the Fresh Prince. But for the first AMAs broadcast since Dick Clark's death, Ryan Seacrest and Stevie Wonder delivered a heartfelt tribute.

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Seacrest, a protege of the iconic television personality, told viewers that he was "a huge Dick Clark fan," adding, "I was in awe of his star quality and how completely comfortable he was in front of the camera."

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As he introduced Wonder, who would perform a medley of hits as photos of Clark flashed on a screen behind him, Seacrest said: "Dick loved the power of music and its ability to create pure job. That's why we're going to use the music tonight to celebrate the joy of his life."

In his opening remarks to the audience, Wonder said, "I remember his love." He and Clark were friends for 49 years.

Wonder and Seacrest weren't the only ones to offer words of tribute to the late entertainment mogul, whose Dick Clark Productions has produced the AMAs for the past four decades. On the red carpet, several nominees and presenters also spoke highly of Clark. See what Gloria Estefan, will.i.am and LInkin Park had to say about him in the video above.