Topics: Celebrity, Liam Payne, Music, News, ITV, TV And Film
Dermot O’Leary has recalled the first time he ever met Liam Payne on the Factor in an extremely touching tribute.
Payne, who died last night (October 16) after falling from a third floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, rose to fame after he joined boyband One Direction on the ITV programme back in 2010.
The 31-year-old singer initially auditioned for the X Factor aged just 14 back in 2008, singing Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon'.
Advert
Payne made it to the Judge's houses but judge Simon Cowell advised him to go back to school and re-audition again two years later.
So, he did exactly that and auditioned again at the age of 16 in 2010, and chose Michael Bublé's rendition of 'Cry Me A River'.
After making it through the auditions, Payne went on to be put in a group with the likes of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form One Direction.
Although the band finished in third place, they went on to become one of the best-selling boy groups of all time - selling more than a staggering 70 million records worldwide.
Friends, family and fans alike have since rushed to social media to share their tributes to the late singer following his sudden death - one of which includes O'Leary.
Taking to Instagram, the presenter, 51, shared a black and white photo of him and Liam on stage alongside a heartfelt caption with an anecdote from the day they first met when Payne was just a teenager.
"The worst news. I remember him as a 14 year old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing," O'Leary recalled.
"He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble."
O'Leary rounded off the touching tribute adding: "Sending love and prayers to his family. Dx."
X Factor has also shared a statement on their official X account.
The statement, which was accompanied by a picture of Payne, reads: "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."
And now, it's been confirmed that fellow ITV show, Britain's Got Talent, has cancelled their auditions set to be filmed today due to Payne's sudden death.
