KANYE BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS ON STAGE IN PARIS

With his mother, Dr. Donda West's death just a week ago, Kanye West returned to Europe to fulfill his concert obligations beginning with Paris Saturday night.

However, when the rapper tried to perform "Hey Mama," he broke down in tears and couldn't finish.

"This song is for my mother..." is how West started to introduce the song to a sold-out crowd at Le Zénith in Paris, but couldn't go on.

"He said the word, 'Mother' and just couldn't go any further," Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire told People. "A back-up singer, the DJ and a guitar player came over to console him. (At one point,) it looked like he might collapse. He just couldn't continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying while the band continued playing."

Magloire says that after a few moments of stunned silence, the audience of 5,000 reacted by offering calls of encouragement, which grew into applause.

The band restarted the song, but West left the stage, but he came back after 10-15 minutes to finish the concert with a rousing performance of "Stronger."

At this point except for Monday's show in Amsterdam, West's European tour is still on which is somewhat surprising. He cancelled a Victoria's Secrets performance on Thursday and was not at the memorial for her in Chicago on Friday. There was speculation that he would remain reclusive until after his mother's funeral tomorrow in Oklahoma.

Now the word is that after the funeral he will resume the tour – including his planned Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, performance at the O2 arena in London. The European tour dates, which are listed on his website, end on December 4.

Meanwhile, the grieving artist is also tapped to work on upcoming albums from Mos Def and John Legend.

Legend, who is preparing a follow up to last year's "Once Again," says his thoughts are with West following the sudden death of his mother.

"She loved him and supported him unconditionally," Legend notes. "She was really there for him a lot and was ... really a great example for him. You could tell how close they were, and I just can't imagine how devastated he is right now."

Legend dedicated a performance of his hit "So High" to Dr. West at a Get Together show Wednesday in Detroit and said afterwards that he plans to attend her funeral tomorrow in Oklahoma.