Nile Rodgers has paid tribute to British music lawyer Sara John Nervkla, who passed away earlier this month following a battle with cancer, crediting her with being a "huge catalyst" for the work him and manager Merck Mercuriadis do on behalf of songwriters and artists.

Speaking on stage at his Hampton Court Palace Festival show in London this weekend, Rodgers called Nervkla, who worked as a consultant for Hipgnosis Songs, an “incredibly important" part of the team.

“She fought hard for us and all the songwriters on this planet. She was known by all for her amazing work and not letting cancer get in the way of fighting on behalf of songwriters and artists. We miss her terribly.”

Alongside her work with Hipgnosis, Nervkla had history at BPI, EMI and the U.K. Government’s DCMS division. She died, aged 62, on Saturday.

The work that Nervkla inspired included Hipgnosis giving evidence to the Government’s recent economics of streaming inquiry. The resulting report, said Rodgers, made “incredibly strong and astute recommendations to the government on behalf of songwriters and the artistic community to make the streaming economy fairer and more equitable.”

“These people are doing something amazing for the entire music community around the world and together, we are intent on ensuring that songwriters are recognised and remunerated properly for delivering their songs.”