Rita Ora paid a heartfelt tribute to Liam Payne at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday night.
The 33-year-old pop star hosted the awards show at Co-op Live in Manchester and gave an emotional speech to honour the former One Direction singer, who died in October, aged 31.
Rita – who collaborated with Liam on the 2018 single For You – broke down in tears as she said: ‘I just want to take a moment to remember someone very, very dear to us.
‘We lost him recently and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight.
‘Liam Payne was one of the kindest people that I knew. He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could.
Rita Ora paid a heartfelt tribute to Liam Payne at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday night
The 33-year-old pop star hosted the awards show at Co-op Live in Manchester, and Rita paid an emotional tribute to the former One Direction singer, who died in October, aged 31
Rita – who collaborated with Liam on the 2018 single ‘For You’ – broke down in tears as she said: ‘I just want to take a moment to remember someone very, very dear to us’ (seen in 2018 together)
‘He brought so much joy to every room he walked into and he left such a mark on the world.’
Breaking down she added: ‘So let’s just take a moment to remember our friend Liam…’
Rita previously admitted to being ‘devastated’ by Liam’s passing.
The singer took to social media in October to pay tribute to Liam, sweetly saying that he had ‘the kindest soul’.
Rita wrote on X: ‘I’m devastated [broken-heart emoji] He had the kindest soul, I will never forget.
‘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 [dove emoji] (sic)’
Rita recently paid tribute to Liam during a concert in Osaka, Japan. The singer became visibly emotional as she performed a rendition of their hit single.
Liam fell 45ft from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month.
She added: ‘We lost him recently and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight’
Rita continued: ‘Liam Payne was one of the kindest people that I knew. He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could’
Breaking down she added: ‘So let’s just take a moment to remember our friend Liam…’
Rita previously admitted to being ‘devastated’ by Liam’s passing. The singer took to social media in October to pay tribute to Liam, observing that he had ‘the kindest soul’
The pair are seen performing together in 2018
Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in ‘extremely serious injuries.’
Payne was in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.
Payne was one of five band members of One Direction, which formed in 2010 when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series The X Factor.
After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands.
The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like What Makes You Beautiful.
They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016. They had a loyal fan base, many of whom were teen girls, who became known as ‘Directioners.’
Payne had a seven-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud.
She was an The X Factor judge during One Direction’s season.
He is also survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
Following news of his death Rita said: ‘He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage’
Rita hosted the ceremony and was seen arriving on the red carpet earlier in the night in a light pink feathered gown
On Friday a hotel worker and a drug dealer were revealed as two of the three mystery men arrested over the death of Liam in Buenos Aires.
Police in Argentina believe they have uncovered drug dealing at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel where the star fell to his death from his suite’s third-floor balcony on October 16.
A 21-year-old and a 24-year-old have been named by respected Argentine news website Infobae as two of the three arrested suspects. They are accused of supplying Liam with drugs while a third suspect is under investigation for abandoning a person who subsequently died.
The publication described the 21-year-old, from Ingeniero Budge on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, as an employee of the CasaSur Palermo hotel accused of having supplied cocaine to Payne on at least two occasions.
The 24-year-old drug dealer is from Berazategui, a suburb south-east of the city centre. He allegedly supplied narcotics to the former member of One Direction in the days before his death.
The singer’s close friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores has denied that he is the third suspect and told MailOnline that he would never have abandoned the star.
Prosecutors have made it clear that any idea that Liam had committed suicide had been ruled out and said he was in a state of ‘semi or total unconsciousness’ as he fell to his death when he ‘didn’t know what he was doing.’
Tests have shown the 31-year-old binged on alcohol and cocaine before he died and also had traces of an antidepressant in his system.
She changed into a sleek black suit for the tribute section
She shared this sweet image of them together as she paid tribute last month
Fans have been paying their respects to the popstar at the hotel since his tragic death
One Direction (from left to right) Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik in 2011
After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boybands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.
His singles Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran climbed its way to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.
Over the course of his music career, the popstar collaborated with the likes of J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
Rita hosted the MTV EMAs on Sunday night where Taylor Swift, Tyla and Raye were the big winners.
The red carpet was a sea of glamour with stars such as Maya Jama, Vick Hope and Jodie Turner-Smith dazzling.
Aerial view of the hotel where British singer Liam died in Buenos Aires
He had been on holiday in South America with girlfriend Kate Cassidy (left)
