Katy Perry pays tribute to fan who died in car crash

Katy Perry has paid tribute to a superfan who passed away by posting a poignant message and changing her Twitter name.

Katie Bell from Benton, Louisiana died in a car accident aged 18 on Saturday (25Mar17) after she lost control of her vehicle and collided with another car, which killed both her and 68-year-old driver Roger Erickson, ABC’s partner KTBS reports.

The hashtag #ripkatycatKatie quickly spread on social media and on Tuesday morning (28Mar17) the popstar herself shared a video of her late follower on Twitter, which shows Katie joking to her webcam, "I didn't see you there," as glasses appear on her face.

“We see you angel and we love and will miss you. KC's, light a candle for Katie. Rest In Peace,” the singer wrote, changing her account moniker to the tribute hashtag.

Other fans of the Chained to the Rhythm hitmaker shared their admiration for the blonde star and praised her kind gesture. One user wrote, “@katyperry I'm sure this means the world to her family! i love you,” while another follower appeared to know Katie as she posted, “@katyperry she was very lighthearted ms. Katie thank you for tweeting this I know she really really appreciates this.”

Katie often posted videos of her idol on her Twitter account, and after recently turning 18, she thanked fellow fans who flooded her timeline with birthday messages on 17 March (17).

Katy, who boasts nearly 97 million followers on the platform, often responds to her fans' messages, whether it's a compliment or a negative comment such as when user @katyshellokitty said she "can't stand" the 32-year-old anymore.

"@katyshellokitty then change your @," quipped Katy.