Pop star Rita Ora has performed an emotional rendition of her duet with former One Direction member Liam Payne in tribute to the singer.
Payne, who collaborated with Ora on the song For You, died aged 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Also read: Louis Tomlinson mourns ‘brother’ Liam Payne, promises to be ‘uncle’ to his son Bear: ‘Wish I got chance to say goodbye’)
‘Can’t even sing’
During a concert in Osaka, hours after his death, Ora, 33, struggled to finish their track, released in 2018, which was part of the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack.
In videos, widely circulated online, she can be seen sitting down saying, “I can’t even sing this right now”, while an image of the pair is projected onto the screen behind her.
In a social media post on Thursday the I Will Never Let You Down singer said: “I’m devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget.
“I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage.
“This tragic news breaks my heart. Sending all my love and prayers to his family and loved ones.
“Our song For You takes on a whole new meaning for me now. R.I.P.”
Liam Payne dies at 31
A post-mortem examination has found Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” as a result of his fall.
Ora was a judge on The X Factor in 2015, five years after Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles came third on the show as One Direction.
Former X Factor contestants have paid tribute to Payne, with Cher Lloyd, who appeared on the ITV programme in the same year, writing on Instagram that she will “cherish the memories made and the laughs we had”.
Mary Byrne told the PA news agency her relationship with Payne was like “the older mammy and the boy” during their time on the show.
