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Adele has paid tribute to Amy Winehouse describing the singer as an 'inspiration', saying she made people "excited about British music again".

Writing on her website Adele said: "I don't think she ever realised just how brilliant she was and how important she is."

She added that Winehouse had "paved the way for artists like her".

Adele joins other celebrities remembering the singer, found dead on Saturday at her home in north London.

"Although I'm incredibly sad about Amy passing I'm also reminded of how immensely proud of her I am as well," Adele wrote.

In the blog post entitled "Amy flies in paradise" Adele wrote that she admired Winehouse because she made music with "no fuss and no compromise".

She went on to describe the Back To Black singer as "fearlessly hilarious and blasé about the whole thing".

Adele's second album 21 is currently the biggest selling of the year in the UK and America so far this year and recently went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with Rolling In The Deep.

Back To Black, Amy Winehouse's second album, sold more than 2 million copies following its release in 2006.

Adele wrote: "We believed every word she wrote, and it would sink in deep when she sang them."