Rita Ora has been left in tears as she attempted to perform a musical tribute to her late friend Liam Payne following the star's tragic death.
On Wednesday (October 16), it was reported that the 31-year-old former One Direction member had died suddenly after falling from a balcony of a third-floor hotel room.
The heartbreaking incident took place at the Hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the star had been staying.
Despite authorities attending to the singer promptly, Payne's injuries were so severe that he was unable to be revived.
The results of Payne's preliminary autopsy have now been confirmed, detailing that the singer suffered severe injuries that led to “internal and external hemorrhaging” from the fall, according to a post-mortem carried out by two forensic pathologists in Buenos Aires.
Alberto Crescenti, head of the Buenos Aires emergency services, previously revealed Payne had a "cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death".
Following the heartbreaking news, many fans and stars alike took to social media to pay tribute to the One Direction star.
However, one of Liam's closest friends in the music industry - Rita Ora - was scheduled to perform in front of a live crowd in Osaka, Japan, and used the opportunity to pay tribute to Payne in her own way.
While performing 'For You' - a song that was written by the two stars and famously appeared on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack - Ora became so emotional she was unable to perform moments of the track.
"I can’t even sing this right now," she admitted.
During the performance, a black and white photo of the two stars smiling appeared on the screen behind her.
At times, Ora pulled the microphone away from her face, as the crowd took over singing. At moments, she appeared to mouth "I'm sorry" to audience members.
The emotional moment resonated with social media users, with one fan writing on X: "That's a emotional tribute by Rita Ora, you can feel the pain in her performance."
Another fan added: "She is so brave for going on stage."
Other stars to pay tribute to Payne include fellow musician Charlie Puth, who had also collaborated with the 1D star in the past.
"I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone," Puth wrote on his Instagram Stories.
Puth followed up his message with a video of Payne presenting him with a t-shirt, and then a selfie of the pair of them.
The Backstreet Boys also released a statement saying: "Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat.
"Our hearts go out to Liam’s family, friends, and Directioners around the world. Rest in peace brother."
At this time, Payne's family released a statement through a spokeperson, which read: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.
"We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."
Our thoughts continue to go out to Payne's family, friends, and fans at this time.
