Mathew Knowles cried tears of joy at Beyonce's Obama inauguration performance

BEYONCE's father MATHEW KNOWLES shed tears of pride as he watched his superstar daughter perform the National Anthem at President BARACK OBAMA's second inauguration last month (Jan13).

The Halo hitmaker was given the honor of belting out The Star-Spangled Banner at the Washington, D.C. event to mark the beginning of Obama's second term in office, and Knowles couldn't contain his happiness because he knew how much it meant to the 31 year old to sing for the President.

During a recent appearance on The Showbiz Countdown, the pop star's dad said, "When I see her perform, I am so proud. It reminds me of when she was a kid. I know all of her dreams have come true. It makes me so proud to see her - an incredible talent.

"I can tell that special thing when Beyonce's really happy. It's a certain way she dances, it's a certain smile that she has. And I saw that (at the inauguration). It brought tears to my eyes."

Knowles, who served as his daughter's longtime manager until 2010, has also enjoyed witnessing Beyonce embrace her new role as a mother to her 13-month-old baby girl Blue Ivy.

He added, "I'm proud to see her as a mother. I know this was something very important to her and to see her hold Blue Ivy - that's something very special. I have a picture that no one else will ever get to see of her holding Blue Ivy. You can see the joy in her face."