Combo photo shows John Lennon and Elton John.

Legendary singer Elton John says his friend and the Beatles star John Lennon would have won a Nobel Peace Prize if he had not been killed in 1980.

The singer discussed his "wonderful two or three year whirlwind bromance" with the Beatles band member on Radio 2's "John Lennon at 80" special, reports a section of the media.

Talking to the late "Imagine" singer's son Sean, Elton said: "I think that if your dad had still been alive he would have maybe won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was a uniter and was prepared to go to any lengths to make people see what his point was."

Elton went on to mention the difficulties John faced at the time, saying: "And a lot of people like the FBI, they gave him a hard time, but it didn't deter him. He was peace-loving, brilliant, funny, opinionated, a treasure - we need people like him today."

John, who was also known for his activism, had held a Bed-In for Peace during his honeymoon to Amsterdam. He had also written and recorded "Give peace a chance" in 1969.

Elton also discussed how he met John in 1973 with the two having a "whirlwind bromance" for a few years.

They also made music together, with Elton performing on "Whatever gets you thru the night" in 1974.