Elton John gushes over singer Olly Alexander, compares him to Freddie Mercury

Sir Elton John has lavishly praised the 'It's A Sin' star Olly Alexander for being 'hilariously funny' and talented like the Queen frontman Freddie Mercury - who died in 1991 due to complications from AIDS at the age of 45.

The 'I'm Still Standing' singer, 73, brought up his late pal Freddie while talking to Olly about his role as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series, 'It's A Sin', which depicts the lives of gay men and their friends who lived during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the UK.

Elton John went on to describe his love for Freddie in his own words: "I miss him every day because he was such, a bit like you [Olly], positive, full of life, full of energy, hilariously funny, and what a talent."

He lauded the young British musician in the same way, saying: "Having spoken to you on the phone and now speaking to you in person I get the feeling that you in real life are not very far away from Ritchie the character in ‘It’s a Sin’?"

The 30-year-old singer agreed and replied: "We’re similar! We share a lot of similarities - 18-years-old I moved to London, that's what I did to make a name for myself. I wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be a musician, and I really related to that with Ritchie straight away."

Oliver Alexander Thornton is a British musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and LGBTQ advocate. He is the lead singer of the synth-pop trio Years & Years.

Gushing over the Alexander, Sir Elton John said: "You have so much life in you, no matter what you do, whether you’re making music, whether you're acting, you have this great spirit. I love people with that kind of positivity."