In a short letter on her official website posted yesterday, Beyoncé paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Michael Jackson on the third anniversary of his death.

"When I was just starting out, my first producer used to make me listen to Michael Jackson's live performance of 'Who's Loving You,'" begins the note. Beyoncé describes how she would listen to the then-young singer's track repeatedly for inspiration, saying, "For whatever reason he could evoke more emotion than an adult. It was so raw and so pure . . . It's something that's God given.

"Michael taught me that sometimes you have to forget technique, forget what you have on," she continues. "If you feel silly, you have to go from the gut, just let it go.

"Michael Jackson changed me, and helped me to become the artist I am," she concludes. "Thank you, Michael." Beyoncé was recently tapped to star alongside Pitbull and Steven Tyler in an upcoming animated movie, and is also set for film projects with Clint Eastwood and Ryan Murphy.

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