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Rita Ora and Liam Payne in "For You" music video
Image via YouTube / FiftyShadesVEVO

‘I can’t even sing this right now’: Rita Ora paid tribute to Liam Payne during Japan concert while performing their collab song “For You”

Rita Ora performed their song on stage just hours after Liam Payne's death.

It’s a deeply sad day for the music industry, as news broke yesterday that former One Direction star Liam Payne passed away at the age of 31. Fans were shocked by the news and many entertainment and music stars flooded the internet with tributes and condolences to his family. Rita Ora, one of Payne’s collaborators throughout his solo career, is the latest to pay tribute to the late star.

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Payne had been in the spotlight more than usual in the last few weeks. The former One Direction singer flew to Argentina earlier this month and attended Niall Horan’s concert, something that came with a lot of criticism from the fans. The star’s behavior seemed off, and the way he drew attention to himself instead of celebrating Horan rubbed some people the wrong way. Plus, his ex, Maya Henry, accused the star of obsessive behavior and even started legal action against him.

However, no one would’ve imagined this would lead here, and everyone is devastated after news broke that the 31-year-old singer fell to his death from his hotel in Argentina.

Rita Ora paid homage to Liam Payne during her concert in Japan

In 2018, post-One Direction breakup, Liam Payne was starting his solo career the right way. Following former bandmate Zayn Malik’s collaboration with Taylor Swift for the soundtrack of Fifty Shades Darker with “I Don’t Want to Live Forever,” Liam Payne joined forces with Rita Ora for the last installment, Fifty Shades Freed, with the song “For You.”

The song was included on Payne’s debut solo album LP1 released in 2019, as well as Ora’s second album, 2018’s Phoenix. It also reached the Top 10 in the U.K. and multiple international charts and peaked at number one in Germany.

During her performance in Osaka, Japan, around 12 hours after the news of Liam Payne’s tragic death, Rita Ora performed the song on stage. However, the singer had a hard time getting through the song, and let the audience sing it for her as she fought back tears. In footage shared online, Ora is seen holding her head in her hands as she turns away from the crowd. “I can’t even sing this right now,” she tells the audience. During the performance, a photo of the two was projected onto the big screen behind her.

Ora and Payne were close and he even lived in her luxury house in 2021 with his ex, Maya Henry. Following the concert, Ora paid tribute to her late friend on social media with a series of photos of the two.

“I’m devastated,” Ora began her message with a broken heart emoji. “He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much — he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage.”

The singer continued, “This tragic news breaks my heart. Sending all my love and prayers to his family and loved ones. Our song “For You” takes on a whole new meaning for me now. R.I.P.”

Several other collaborators have shared their shock and sadness at the news. So far, the rest of the One Direction stars haven’t publicly addressed their bandmate’s passing. Having shared so much time together could make it difficult to react publicly, and they should have privacy and support during this time. Harry Styles’ mom, Anne Twist, however, reacted with a photo of a broken-hearted emoji with a black background. She wrote in the caption, “Just a boy…” adding another broken-hearted emoji.

Payne’s death has left the entire world in shock, and the details surrounding it are currently still under investigation. Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shares with his ex-partner, singer Cheryl Cole.

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