Nicole Scherzinger Texted With Liam Payne on the Day He Died, Says She'll 'Forever Cherish and Treasure' Working With the Late Star on 'X Factor'

Nicole Scherzinger was one of the few people to hear from Liam Payne on the day of his death.

On Thursday, October 24, the Pussycat Dolls alum, 46 , shared a touching message to Instagram, reflecting on the 31-year-old singer’s passing after working alongside him for years.

"Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago," she penned alongside a photo of the duo. "It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had."

Scherzinger and Payne began collaborating back in 2010 when she helped develop the boy band on X Factor .

“It’s been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character,” she continued. “You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you . I will 'miss you' my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.”

Payne tragically died on October 16 after jumping off his hotel balcony in Argentina.

The Broadway star’s post came after composer Andrew Lloyd Webber recently claimed Scherzinger was in contact with Payne hours before his death.

The music legend — who is working with Scherzinger on the musical Sunset Boulevard — discussed Scherzinger’s relationship with Payne .

“I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction,” the 76-year-old told Billboard . “On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day.”

Webber noted that Scherzinger learned of Payne’s death just before taking the stage for the Broadway show, however, she still performed for the crowd.

“She’d just heard that he died,” he explained. “And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean, she is an amazing, amazing woman .”

“She is without any question one of the finest performers I’ve ever worked with,” Webber added.

Webber’s comments came after Scherzinger gushed over the success of One Direction in February.

"I just came from The Pussycat Dolls," she said on the “ How to Fail With Elizabeth Day ” podcast about bringing the five boys together to create the pop sensation. "We have too many boys in this category that are too good. They're going to be stronger as a group . There were more man-band groups like Take That and Backstreet Boys and we didn't have any younger groups."

Scherzinger raved about how special it was to be a part of such a special phenomenon.

"I'm so proud of everybody," she gushed. "So happy for everyone. All the boys from One Direction are having wild success . So, I'm grateful that I could be a part of that in some small way."