A tribute to David Bowie by a church organist has gone viral, with many fans reduced to tears at the rendition.

Nicholas Freestone, an organ scholar at St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire said he was humbled by the response after his "breathtaking" performance of Bowie's hit, Life on Mars, was shared thousands of times on Facebook.

One commentator, Val Williams, posted beneath the video: "l have a lump in my throat the size of a rock and my eyes are leaking..Of all the tributes l've seen today for David Bowie yours was glorious.. Simple..heartfelt and unique. Thank you."

Another, Pat Fowler, wrote: "Nicholas Freestone. Sir that was stunning. Marvellous tribute, wonderfully played. A great tribute to David Bowie and a great tribute showing how diverse his music is. Thank you. Sent chills down my spine."

After the video had received thousands of shares, Freestone wrote: "I'm the organist playing this – it's rather humbling to read your comments. Thanks everyone for sharing! x"

You can watch Freestone's rendition here and below is the original so you can compare!