British singer Rita Ora broke down on stage while performing a track she recorded with late One Direction singer Liam Payne.
Ora made her appearance only hours after the news broke that 31-year-old Payne had died from injuries sustained in a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The pop star, who is married to movie director Taika Waititi, was on stage in Osaka, Japan, when she became emotional while singing the duet she’d previously recorded with Payne, titled ‘For You’.
Above the stage behind her, Ora performed with a projected image of herself and Payne, clearly paying homage to Payne.
But her emotions got the best of her, and she eventually turned away from the audience and buried her head in her hands.
Looking up into the sky, Ora cried out, “I can’t even sing this right now.”
Here is video footage from the show:
The 2018 film Fifty Shades Freed featured a song by Payne and Ora on the soundtrack.
The pair also had shared experiences thanks to their respective time spent on the British version of The X Factor, where Payne found fame as a teenager and on which Ora acted as a judge in 2015.
By posting an Instagram photo of herself and Payne—the same one that had been projected into the stage—after her performance, Ora reminisced about her time working with Payne.
Alongside the image, Ora wrote: “I’m devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget.”
Ora’s statement continued: “I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage. 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. R.I.P”
Payne was found to have suffered ‘injuries that were incompatible with life’ when he fell from the balcony, according to the head of the state emergency medical system, Alberto Crescenti.
Because of his wounds, Payne could not be revived.
The Sun reports that the singer’s injuries caused “internal and external hemorrhaging,” as revealed in an autopsy that was later conducted on his body.
The post-mortem was conducted by two forensic pathologists in Buenos Aires today (October 17), and they have been in touch with the Argentinean police regarding their findings.