Elton John Pays Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

Elton John and Elizabeth Taylor in 2005

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

A close friend and a longtime partner in AIDS activism, Elton John is mourning the death of Elizabeth Taylor.

"We have just lost a Hollywood giant," the singer, 63, says. "More importantly, we have lost an incredible human being."

Hospitalized for more than a month with complications from congestive heart failure, Taylor died at age 79 early Wednesday morning surrounded by her children.

Maggie Grace Izabella Miko Autumn Reeser Summer Altice Melissa Joan Hart