NovaQuant-Watch Cher perform 'Believe' with Jennifer Hudson at the iHeartRadio Music Awards

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Jennifer Hudson joined Cher on stage at Monday's iHeartRadio Music Awards for a show-stopping performance of two of the latter's biggest hit songs.

The performance opened with Hudson singing "If I Could Turn Back Time" by herself before Cher, whom the "Dreamgirls" star said "needs no introduction," entered and transitioned into "Believe." Hudson soon returned and joined Cher, 77, on the track as the two held hands, and Hudson stunned by belting out the final note.

Cher subsequently received the Icon Award and delivered a speech in front of giant gold letters that read "ICON."

"If you knew me, you would know that I just wrote my speech while I was getting my eyelashes on," she quipped before declaring that she was wearing pants that she has had "for 40 years."

The "Strong Enough" singer went on to say she felt "blessed and lucky" to receive the Icon Award and to have "people that have stayed with me for all these years," although she joked that "most of you" in the room weren't born when she started. She also reflected on "so many times" in her career when she felt she was "down and out," but she "never gave up" on her dream.

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"Have a dream and then don't give it up, no matter what happens," she concluded. "Because I know from my own experience that if you have a dream and you stick with it, you will have a wonderful life and it probably will come true."

Past recipients of the iHeartRadio Icon Award include Pink, Jennifer Lopez and Elton John.

While introducing Cher, Meryl Streep reflected on the longevity of the singer's career, noting she is the "only woman in U.S. history" to have a No. 1 record in every one of the last seven decades.

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"You're lucky if you get seven seconds of somebody's fractured attention, never mind seven decades," Streep, who starred with Cher in 1983's "Silkwood," said. "It takes talent, but more than that, I think it takes heart. When I think of Cher, I think of her giant heart: how open it is, how battered it is, and how strong it is."

Other highlights from Monday's iHeartRadio Music Awards included Taylor Swift winning artist of the year. She did not attend the ceremony but delivered a video message.

"I wanted to say thank you so much to anyone who voted for this award," she said. "To the fans, it's completely up to you to choose how you spend your time, what concerts you want to go to, what music do you want to make the soundtrack to your life, and to anyone who has included me in those choices, I'm so so so thankful for that."

Contributing: Bryan West, USA TODAY NETWORK