Liam Payne was honored at the MTV EMAs this evening, with his fans praising the emotional tribute.
The former One Direction star sadly died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Liam’s close friend Rita Ora, who hosted tonight’s awards spoke about the singer as she addressed the audience.
She began her tribute by describing the Strip That Down hitmaker as “one of the kindest people that I knew.” Holding back tears, she continued: “He had the biggest heart. He was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could. He brought so much joy to every room he walked into and he left such a mark on this world.”
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The host’s voice trembled with emotion as the crowd then erupted into applause. Rita continued: “So let’s just take a moment to remember our friend, Liam.”
Fans then sang along as the One Direction song Night Changes played over a picture tribute for Liam. A video of the tribute has been shared on X, with fans overcome with emotion by Rita’s touching words.
One person wrote: “A beautiful tribute to Liam Payne from a tearful Rita Ora right now.” Another posted: “I’m glad they mentioned Liam. Rita’s statement about him was beautiful but I could see it hurt her to lose her best friend. Liam I believe you are happy now, at peace and looking down on us and smiling we love you Payno. Forever in our memories.”
A third fan commented: “This breaks my heart, we all miss u liam,” while another expressed support for Rita: “Stay strong Rita Ora. Directioners are with you love you Liam, forever #MTVEMAs2024 #MTVEMAs #MTVEMA.”
The tribute had been planned in advance, with MTV EMAs Executive Producer Bruce Gillmer first sharing the news. In response to queries about tributes, Gilmer confirmed: “For sure, there’ll be an acknowledgement of his passing. It’s appropriate given the connection to the audience and what he means to the brand.”
Liam was just 31 years old when he fell to his death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. His father, Geoff Payne, flew to Argentina following the news of Liam’s passing and stayed there until his son’s body was cleared to be flown back to the UK on Wednesday.
On November 7, a press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said that the singer’s toxicological results were shared with his family and showed that he had traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system. The release said: “This conclusion was reached after the complete toxicology tests on urine, blood and vitreous humor.”
According to the statement, officials ruled out suicide as “in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it.” Not only did they rule out suicide, but the lengthy investigation saw officials arrest three people and charge them with the “crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.”
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