‘Devastated’ Rita Ora performs emotional tribute to Liam Payne during concert
The pair collaborated on the song For You in 2018.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.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.
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.”
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.