Noel Gallagher paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend Caroline Aherne by dedicating his song Half The World Away to her during a show in the US.

The former Oasis frontman only discovered that The Royle Family star had died just hours before he took to the stage in Nashville on Saturday and he sang a moving version of his 1994 hit, which became the BBC sitcom’s theme tune, in her memory.

The cast of The Royle Family including Caroline Aherne (BBC)
The cast of The Royle Family including Caroline Aherne (BBC)

Noel told the crowd at the Ryman Auditorium: “I want to dedicate the next song to a friend of mine who died this afternoon.

“Her name was Caroline and she was a very, very, very funny woman.

“She used this next song on a very, very, very, very brilliant sitcom in England called The Royle Family.”

Noel and Caroline have been good friends since the 1990s (Martin Rickett/PA)
Noel and Caroline have been good friends since the 1990s (Martin Rickett/PA)

He finished by adding, “So, wherever you are,” and pointing heavenward, before launching into the song.

The 49-year-old, who is touring with his band Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, had promised the tribute earlier on his Instagram account.

He shared a picture of Caroline with the caption, “RIP Kaz … I shall sing for you tonight. (My god you made us laugh!)”

Caroline starred as Denise Best in The Royle Family, a sitcom that centred around a working class family sitting in their living room and which was toast of the 1999 British Comedy Awards, scooping four trophies including best actress for her. It also went on to take home the best sitcom Bafta in 2000 and 2007.

Her co-star Ralf Little, who played brother Anthony in the BBC sitcom, praised Noel’s gesture on Twitter, writing, “The Chief never lets you down.”

Caroline died on Saturday at her home in Timperley, Greater Manchester, at the age of 52 after a battle with lung cancer.

She was also best known for her riotous chat show The Mrs Merton Show, which also won a string of awards, and more recently she narrated Channel 4 show Gogglebox.