Liam Payne’s mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, is honoring the former One Direction star after his tragic passing last week.
Scherzinger shared a heartfelt photo of the singer, who reportedly fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She mentioned that she had reconnected with the 31-year-old only weeks before his unexpected passing.
Reflecting on their long history, the former Pussycat Dolls singer, who first met Liam during his 2010 audition for The X Factor, shared an emotional tribute: “Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we spent together, from those early days of One Direction until just a few weeks ago.”
Expressing sorrow over his sudden loss, she added, “It was such a blessing to work with you recently. We shared a deep love and passion for music, and I will always remember our meaningful, joyful conversations.”
In the shared photo, Liam appears happy and relaxed, smiling alongside Nicole and Kelly Rowland.
For context, Nicole joined the show as a guest judge during Liam’s audition, as Cheryl Tweedy was recovering from malaria at the time.
