Nicole Scherzinger has shared a moving tribute to Liam Payne after his death last week.
The former One Direction star died on 16 October at the age of 31, after falling from a third storey hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Scherzinger, 46, first met Payne when he appeared on The X Factor in 2010, aged 16.
The former Pussycat Dolls star briefly appeared as a guest judge on the 2010 season of the ITV talent show, while Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She was instrumental in putting together the band’s line-up, as revealed in a behind-the-scenes clip that was shared on Twitter/X in 2022.
She went on to work with Payne again earlier this year, when they filmed the Netflix talent show Building the Band, with both stars featuring as judges and mentors, alongside Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.
In the emotional message, Scherzinger, who is currently starring in the Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard, said that it had been a “blessing” to work with Payne recently, and hailed his “kind heart, sweet soul and character”.
“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a smiling photo of her and Rowland posing with Payne.
“It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently,” she added. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.
“It has been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character.
“You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you. I will ‘miss you’ my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.”
Scherzinger was reportedly texting Payne on the day that he died, according to Sunset Boulevard creator Andrew Lloyd Webber.
In an interview with Billboard, Lloyd Webber revealed how Scherzinger had to perform for Broadway reviewers shortly after learning of her friend’s tragic passing.
“I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction,” the composer said.
“On the Wednesday that she died, she was still texting him that day, and [that evening] the reviewers came in [to watch Sunset Boulevard], she’d just heard that he died. And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary.”
X Factor judge Simon Cowell halted filming for Britain’s Got Talent after learning of Payne’s death, and in a statement revealed that he felt “devastated”, “heartbroken” and “empty” at the news.
