Simon Cowell has responded to the sudden death of One Direction star Liam Payne by cancelling filming for Britain’s Got Talent.
Payne, who shot to international fame when One Direction was formed on X Factor, was found dead after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The singer had been in the country in part to support his former bandmate Niall Horan who had been performing in Buenos Aires. Payne had attended Horan’s concert earlier this month with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy before deciding to stay in the country for longer.
Follow live updates and tributes following the death of Liam Payne here.
Simon Cowell, who formed One Direction on X Factor and was their first manager, has responded to the news by halting filming for ITV’s new series of Britain’s Got Talent, which features Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and guest judge KSI on the judging panel.
The show, created by Cowell, was filming for its audition stage in Blackpool.
In a statement, Applause store, who organised the tickets for filming, announced: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today’s auditions in Blackpool. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Payne entered X Factor in 2008 as a solo artist and made it through to the judges’ house stage of the competition. He returned two years later, in 2010, and was put in a boy band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to become One Direction.
After finishing in third place, the band were signed to judge Cowell’s record label Syco Entertainment. The group achieved international success in the proceeding years, becoming the first boy band in US chart history to record two No 1 albums in the same calendar year.
So far, no members of One Direction have made a statement on their bandmate’s death, but the official X/Twitter account for X Factor posted: “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.”
“He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him,” the statement continued.
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Local authorities in Buenos Aires have said they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
A hotel worker made a distressed call to police shortly before his death, it has emerged, in which they said a guest was “breaking everything in his room” and appeared to be “on drugs and alcohol”.