Nicole Scherzinger Pays Tribute to Liam Payne After It’s Revealed She Was Texting Him the Day He Died: ‘Hard to Process’

The singer paid tribute to Payne following his death at age 31 on Wednesday, Oct. 16

Nicole Scherzinger (left); Liam Payne. Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Nicole Scherzinger is honoring Liam Payne following his death at the age of 31.

On Friday, Oct. 25, the singer, 46, penned an emotional Instagram tribute to Payne, who died on Wednesday, Oct. 16, after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to ABC News, sources confirmed a partial autopsy found that the star “had multiple substances in his system.”

Alongside Simon Cowell, Scherzinger is credited for the formation of Payne’s boy band One Direction in the 2010 season of The X Factor.

“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,” Scherzinger wrote alongside two photos of her, Payne and Kelly Rowland, 43.

From left: Liam Payne, Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger.David Fisher/Shutterstock

She added, “It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

“It’s 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,” the former Pussycat Dolls star continued.

“You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you,” she wrote before concluding with, “I will ‘miss you’ my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. 🙏🏽♥️.”

In August, it was announced that Scherzinger, Rowland and Payne would star alongside AJ McLean in the new Netflix series Building the Band.

It was reported that Scherzinger would serve as a mentor and judge, while Payne and Rowland would serve as judges.

Scherzinger also paid her respects on Good Morning America on Friday, Oct. 25.

“Liam and I were quite close, especially because we recently did a show on Netflix together called building the band,” she said. “And so, yeah, I’m heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for Liam, I’m heartbroken for his family and his loved ones and his friends.”

She added, “Liam always led with his heart and with kindness, and I really hope that’s how he’ll always be remembered.”

Scherzinger’s tribute comes after composer Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed in an interview with Billboard that the artist had been texting Payne on the day he died.

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“I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam [Payne], from One Direction,” Webber — who composed the music for Scherzinger’s  Broadway musical Sunset Blvd. — said.

“On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day, and [that evening] the reviewers came in [to SUNSET], she’d just heard that he died,” he added. “And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary.”

The musician continued, “I mean she is an amazing, amazing woman. She is without any question one of the finest performers I’ve ever worked with.”