Will Smith has paid an emotional tribute to his former 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' co-star James Avery

The 51-year-old actor organised a virtual reunion with his former castmates for the finale of his Snapchat series, 'Will at Home', and they used the opportunity to pay tribute to the late actor, who starred as Uncle Phil on the hit sitcom.

After a video tribute to the star, a visibly-emotional Will - who was joined by the likes of Tatyana Ali, Alfonso Ribiero, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Daphne Reid and Karyn Parsons - said: "That just makes me teary ... James Avery, James Avery, James Avery."

Daphne, 71 - who played James' on-screen wife Aunt Viv - also hailed the late actor, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 68 from complications following open heart surgery.

She said: "I loved that man."
Will also shared the touching tribute on his Instagram account.

He captioned the post: "Our show wouldn't have been HALF what it was without the talent and light that was James Avery. We all love and miss you, James. (sic)"

Meanwhile, Will previously confessed he "can't bear" to watch old episodes of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'.

The Hollywood star can be seen mouthing other people's lines in the first few episodes of the sitcom and looking back, he feels embarrassed by his early performances.

Will - who starred on the show from 1990 until 1996 - said: "It was my very first role and I was very, very focused on being successful so I learnt the whole script and everyone else's lines.

"If you watch the first four or five episodes you can see I'm mouthing other people's lines. It's terrible and I can't bear to watch it."