Stevie Wonder's Dick Clark Tribute at American Music Awards to be Introduced by Ryan Seacrest

Reports confirm that Motown legend Stevie Wonder will be performing a Dick Clark tribute at Sunday evening's 40th annual American Music Awards (Nov. 18, 2012). The touching tribute to the founder of the American Music Awards will be introduced by popular television personality and host Ryan Seacrest.

Seacrest, a protégé of Clark's, said in a recent statement, "I am honoured to be a part of the AMAs tribute to Dick Clark. He was a mentor, friend and a wonderful advocate for popular music, helping make it one of the cornerstones of American culture. We miss him dearly. He gave hundreds of stars their national TV debut. So, it's only fitting that one of music's legends, Stevie Wonder, will play at Sunday's tribute. It will be a great show."

Clark, a famous American radio and television personality (remember "American Bandstand?") who established the American Music Awards back in 1973, passed away on April 18, 2012 after suffering a heart attack at the age of 82.

"Without a Dick Clark, our entire current musical repertoire might be classical in nature. Not that there's anything wrong with classical music, but Clark helped Beethoven roll over and tell Tchaikovsky the news," AMA producer Larry Klein released in a statement. "Sunday's tribute to Dick Clark performed by the iconic Stevie Wonder is going to be talked about for years to come."

Check out a clip fo the Clark tribute here:

Other highly-anticipated acts of the evening besides Wonder's tribute to Clark include Taylor Swift, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carrie Underwood, Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, and many more. Check back in with Mstarz for performance and Awards recaps.

The American Music Awards airs on Sunday, Nov. 18 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.