Madonna wept on stage as she paid tribute to two technicians who were killed when the stage for one of her concerts collapsed in France.

Briton Charles Prow, 23, was today named as one of those killed along with a Frenchman.

The singer broke down in tears during the Italian leg of her concert saying she was "devastated".

She added: ’I ask you for a moment to stop and think of the people who have lost their lives, we need to appreciate life, the people we love and our families.’

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Her sell-out concert in Marseille was immediately cancelled.

Mr Prow, from Leeds, was taken to La Timone Hospital in Marseille last night after a section of the stage roof collapsed in the Stade Vélodrome football stadium where Madonna was due to perform.

He was working to set up the stage when the accident took place. A French worker, Charles Criscenzo, 53, was killed instantly. Sniffer dogs were called to the wreckage where they found Mr Prow unconscious beneath the structure.

Marie Riondel, a spokeswoman for the Marseille fire department, said: "We started the operation at 5.15pm and at 6pm Mr Prow arrived at the hospital. He was found unconscious.”

A spokeswoman at La Timone hospital said that Mr Prow had been treated overnight in the neurosurgical intensive care, but is believed to have died from severe brain trauma.

A representative of Mr Prow’s family said: “He was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, uncle and friend.

"Charles was a happy-go-lucky guy with a big personality and he will be deeply missed.”

Madonna was due to perform in Marseille on Sunday as part of her Sticky and Sweet tour, but the concert has now been cancelled. The 50-year-old singer was informed of the accident while warming up for a concert in Udine in Italy and said she was “devastated” at the news and passed on her condolences to the families of the victims.

In a statement released by event organisers Live Nation, she said: “My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families, along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news."

City officials said the roof was two-thirds complete when the accident happened, which may have been caused by a faulty power winch, according to Marseille police.

Besides the two people killed, eight were seriously injured and 36 people suffered minor injuries including shock. Two workers, believed to be British and American, remain in a serious condition in hospital.

The roof was being winched into place on to four columns in the corners of the stage. The collapsing structure is believed to have brought one of the cranes crashing onto the stage. Maurice di Nocera, the Marseille council official in charge of major events, said the collapse took place in two stages, allowing some workers to escape injury as the stage began to shake.

It is believed that all work contracts held by those working on the site were in good order but a police investigation has been launched and witnesses are being interviewed.

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