Rita Ora reflects on her time with Liam Payne.
Hours after the former One Direction member’s death at the age of 31 on October 16, Ora held a concert in Osaka, Japan and broke down emotionally while performing their 2018 duet “For You”. Fifty Shades Freed.
During a solo performance of their collaboration, according to footage shared by fans on social media, the 33-year-old British pop star flashed a photo of herself with Payne on a screen behind her and struggled through the song.
– I can’t even sing this now – she told the audience at one point. “Can you sing this for me?”
The next day, Ora took to social media with a candid post about their time together.
“I’m devastated,” Ora, 33, wrote alongside photos of herself and Payne in the studio promoting their collaboration. “He had the kindest soul, I’ll never forget.”
One Direction’s Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina
The “Ask and you shall receive” singer added: “I loved working with him so much – it was such a pleasure to be on stage and off. 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,” Ora’s tribute continued. “RIP”
Released with the third Fifty Shades of the film in 2018, “For You” became a huge hit for both Ora and Payne, peaking at No. 8 in their native UK as well as No. 76 in the US. The song also appeared on Ora and Payne’s albums, Phoenix and LP1.
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Rita Ora and Liam Payne in December 2022.
Lia Toby/BFC/Getty
Payne was pronounced dead on Oct. 16 after falling several stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances of Payne’s death, local police told PEOPLE, and an autopsy will be performed.
In a statement translated from Spanish, Alberto Crescenti (head of SAME, Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical system) told TN that Payne fell in the inner courtyard of the hotel.
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The SAME team arrived at the hotel and confirmed the death of the man, later identified as Payne, around 5:11 p.m. local time, Crescenti said, noting that the musician’s injuries were so severe that “there was no possibility of resuscitation.”
Payne leaves behind a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
Following the “Strip That Down” singer’s death, his “Get Low” collaborator Zedd took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking..”
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Source: HIS Education