Sir Elton John to perform at Emmy Awards for first time

Sir Elton had surgery in August to remove his appendix

Sir Elton John will perform live at this year's Emmy Awards for the first time in the ceremony's 64-year history.

The musician, who is 66, will make his debut with a tribute to Liberace, the American pianist and vocalist whose life was told in the recent biopic, Behind the Candelabra.

The HBO film, which premiered in Cannes this year, is up for 15 Emmys.

The awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will take place on 22 September.

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, who play Liberace and his lover Scott Thorson in Behind The Candelabra, have both been nominated in the lead actor in a miniseries or movie category.

The pair are also set to present an award during the ceremony.

Sir Elton's first solo studio album in seven years, The Diving Board, produced by T Bone Burnett, is set for release on 24 September.

The singer was forced to cancel a series of summer shows in July, including a headline gig in London's Hyde Park, after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

He underwent surgery in August.

This year's nominations for the Primetime Emmys were announced by Harris, who currently stars in sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul.

Brits Hugh Bonneville and Damian Lewis will battle it out in the lead actor category for their roles in Downton Abbey and Homeland.

Dame Helen Mirren, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michelle Dockery and Imelda Staunton are some of the other British stars vying for prizes.