Rita Ora Tearfully Honors Liam Payne at the MTV Europe Music Awards: ‘One of the Kindest People’

Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne weeks after his death.

As Ora, 33, hosted the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday, November 10, she took a moment to reflect on Payne’s life and the time she spent with him.

“I just want to take a moment to remember someone who was very, very dear to us,” said Ora, who hosted the awards for the third time. “We lost him recently, and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world, and I mean a lot of yours back home, and everyone here tonight.”

Ora — who worked with Payne on their 2018 song “For You” — said the One Direction star was “one of the kindest people” she knew and noted that she and the MTV producers talked about “so many ways about whom we spoke to in honor of him.”

Liam Payne and Rita Ora in 2019.

David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty

“I think sometimes just talking is enough,” she continued. “He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer to help in any way. He brought so much joy to every room he walked into, and he left such a mark on this world. So let’s just take a moment to remember our friend Liam.”

The ceremony then featured a memoriam-style clip of Payne that read: “MTV remembers Liam Payne 1993-2024,” alongside black-and-white photos and videos of the late musician and a clip of One Direction’s “Night Changes.”

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Rita Ora breaks down as she performs Liam Payne duet hours after his death: ‘I can’t even sing this now’

Presenter Rita Ora speaks on stage during the 2024 MTV EMAs on November 10.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Payne died on Oct. 16 after falling several stories from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE at the time. He was 31 years old.

A press release from the National Criminal and Prisons Prosecution Service #14 later revealed that Payne’s toxicology results showed alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system.

Ora previously paid tribute to Payne just hours after news of his death broke while performing at a concert in Osaka, Japan. During an emotional moment on stage, she sang “For You” — which appeared on the soundtrack Fifty Shades Freed – and started crying.

Liam Payne’s toxicology results confirm multiple drugs in system — and that he was ‘not fully conscious’ during fatal fall

– I can’t even sing this now – she told the audience at one point, while Payne’s photo flashed on the screen behind her. “Can you sing this for me?”

A day later, Ora shared a candid Instagram post about their time together.

“I’m devastated,” she wrote at the time alongside photos of herself and Payne in the studio promoting their collaboration. “He had the kindest soul, I’ll never forget.”

“I loved working with him so much – he was such a joy to be on stage and off. This tragic news breaks my heart,” she continued. “Sending all my love and prayers to his family and loved ones. Our song For You has a whole new meaning to me now. RIP”

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Source: HIS Education