Nicole Scherzinger, who had a hand in forming One Direction, was texting Liam Payne on the day he tragically died.
Payne passed away on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina.
Emergency services were on the scene quickly but were sadly unable to resuscitate the 31-year-old who had suffered fatal injuries.
Tributes have flooded in from around the world as fans and loved ones mourn the loss of the One Direction star.
Amongst those who had a close relationship with Payne was Nicole Scherzinger.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, who worked with Scherzinger on his Broadway musical Sunset Boulevard, revealed in a recent Billboard interview that Scherzinger was texting Payne, the former One Direction singer, on the day of his tragic passing.
“I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction,” Webber shared in the interview. “On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day.”
Despite receiving the devastating news of Payne’s passing, Scherzinger went on to perform that same evening as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
Webber praised her dedication to the performance, calling her decision to go on with the show “extraordinary.”
“She’d just heard that he died,” he continued, “and the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. She is an amazing, amazing woman. She is without any question one of the finest performers I’ve ever worked with.”
The legendary composer went on to highlight Scherzinger’s commitment, describing her as an exceptional leader among performers.
“One thing about Nicole is that once she’s committed to something, she is the most incredible company member and leader of any performer I know,” he added.
Scherzinger, who first met Payne when he was a contestant on The X Factor U.K., where One Direction was originally formed, has long been supportive of the band members.
The singer’s connection to One Direction goes deeper than her mentorship of Payne; she was instrumental in the band’s formation.
Recently resurfaced footage from The X Factor shows Scherzinger suggesting that Payne, along with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, be grouped together as a band.
In the video, Scherzinger is seen encouraging fellow judge Simon Cowell to place the young contestants’ photos together, imagining them as a potential boy band.
“They’re just too talented to get rid of,” Scherzinger said at the time, adding that the group had “the right look and the right charisma on stage.”
Her instincts proved correct, as One Direction went on to become one of the most successful boy bands of the 2010s.
