X Factor host Dermot O’Leary leads Liam Payne tributes: ‘He just loved to sing’

TV presenter Dermot O’Leary recalled Liam Payne auditioning for The X Factor as a 14-year-old boy, as he paid tribute to the singer following his death.

Payne died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He rose to stardom at the age of 16 after forming boy band One Direction on The X Factor in 2010 alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, having returned to the ITV show two years after his first audition.

Styles’ mother, Anne Twist, posted a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, captioning it: “Just a boy.”

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O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “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,” he wrote.

“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”

Singer Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said on Instagram that he was “lost for words”, describing Payne’s death as “devastating”.

“We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together,” Murs wrote beside a picture of the pair.

“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad.”

Former The Xtra Factor presenter Konnie Huq said she told Payne when Justin Bieber was on the show that he would “be as big as him one day” and Payne was “self-deprecating” but “absolutely did get to that level”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I actually found out last night (about his death), but ‘just a boy’ is so right, because really all he’s known in his adult, and pre-adult life as well to some extent, is being in the limelight, and, you know, thrust into this position of global fame, not just sort of being known in your own country, but everywhere, essentially.”

She added: “But I do remember we had Justin Bieber on the show, and Liam sort of had the same hairstyle, bore a striking resemblance, and so we got him to come on the show. He was really embarrassed to meet Justin.

“And then afterwards, I was like ‘You will be as big as him one day’ and he was actually kind of self-deprecating, it was quite mature of Liam, of the boys, and, you know, he absolutely did get to that level, but it’s a lot for young people to take on.”

She added: “We’ve always had stories of sort of massive stars dying young, but I feel that the pressure in general is more in modern living.”

Payne and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl had a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.

The Wanted star Max George said he met Payne while he was competing on The X Factor with One Direction, describing his death as “absolutely devastating news”.

“Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him,” he said on Instagram.

“Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom (Parker) fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer.

“He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that.”

Payne attended the funeral of Parker, who died in March 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

US singer Charlie Puth, a co-writer on Payne’s 2017 song Bedroom Floor, said he was in “shock” after Payne’s death.

“Liam was always so kind to me,” he posted on Instagram, alongside a collection of photos of the pair working together.

“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone… I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”

Radio 1 Breakfast presenter Greg James paid tribute to Liam Payne, describing the news of his death on air as a “shock” and “destabilising”.

During his breakfast show on Thursday, James said: “I’ve only interviewed him a couple of times because they (One Direction) were always flying off around the world, we barely got to see them, but when we did it was always so fun.

“And he loved fun, he was funny, he was sweet”.

James said he could think of “no better song than this” before playing the One Direction hit single What Makes You Beautiful.

Rylan Clark said Payne’s death was “so tragic” on X, while fellow former X Factor contestants Jedward sent their love to Cheryl, his son Bear and “all the One Direction family”.

Socialite Paris Hilton also paid tribute on X, calling the singer’s death “so upsetting”, while BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball said “devastating news, dear Liam Payne”.

DJ and music producer Zedd, who featured alongside Payne on the 2017 song Get Low, called the singer’s death “absolutely heartbreaking”.

American singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign said he will “miss” Payne, captioning videos and pictures on his Instagram story: “Just talked to you two days ago my guy.”

Fellow boy band the Backstreet Boys also paid tribute, saying their hearts go out to “Directioners around the world”.

A statement on X added: “Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat.”

A number of industry bodies joined those paying tribute, including streaming giant Spotify, MTV and the Brit Awards, who all said in separate statements that they are “deeply saddened” by Payne’s death.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News it was “very sad news”.

She added: “It’s no age for someone to lose their life, and my thoughts are with his friends and family, this must be a total shock for them and very, very upsetting.”