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Rita Ora breaks down on stage just hours after Liam Payne's death as she sings song they recorded together

Home> Celebrity> News

Updated 15:56 17 Oct 2024 GMT+1Published 15:40 17 Oct 2024 GMT+1

Rita Ora breaks down on stage just hours after Liam Payne's death as she sings song they recorded together

The British singer was performing in Japan when she became emotional on stage

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

British singer Rita Ora broke down on stage while performing a track she recorded with late One Direction singer Liam Payne.

Ora's appearance came just hours after Payne was confirmed to have died at just 31-years-old, after he fell from a balcony at a hotel 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'.

Ora and Payne collaborated on the track in 2018 (Instagram/@ritaora)
Ora and Payne collaborated on the track in 2018 (Instagram/@ritaora)

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In a clear tribute to Payne, Ora performed in front of an image of herself and Payne, which was projected above the stage behind her.

However, she soon became too emotional to continue and put her head into her hands as she turned away from the crowd.

Ora then looked up towards the sky, saying: "I can't even sing this right now."

See footage from the performance below:

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Payne and Ora recorded their track for the soundtrack to the 2018 movie Fifty Shades Freed.

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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.

Ora shared fond memories of her time spent working with Payne in a post shared on Instagram after her gig, which featured the same image of Payne and Ora that had been projected over the stage.

Alongside the image, Ora wrote: "I’m devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget."

Ora described Payne as the 'kindest soul' ( Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Ora described Payne as the 'kindest soul' ( Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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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.

His injuries meant Payne could not be resurrected.

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A subsequent autopsy carried out on his body found that the singer had suffered injuries which led to ‘internal and external hemorrhaging’, according to a report from the Sun.

Two forensic pathologists in Buenos Aires carried out the post-mortem today (October 17), and have been in contact with the Argentinian police regarding their findings.

Featured Image Credit: @‌tdefenseless28/X

Topics: Music, Celebrity, Viral

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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