Rita Ora fights back tears during Liam Payne song following his tragic death

Rita Ora was overcome with emotion as she paid a heartfelt tribute to Liam Payne on stage, following his tragic passing at the age of 31 .

During her performance, Rita Ora displayed a black and white photo of herself with the One Direction star on the stage's screen, as she sang their collaborative song 'For You.' A fan page on social media captured the moment, stating: "Rita Ora, whom Liam collaborated with, displayed a picture of herself with Liam on the stage's screen while she performed their song 'For You.'

Rita struggled to contain her tears while singing the duet, which she and Liam Payne had released in 2018 for the film Fifty Shades Freed. As she performed, a picture of the two friends was displayed behind her, and she visibly fought to get through the lyrics. In a poignant moment, Rita was seen holding her head in her hands, turning away from the crowd, and admitting: "I can't even sing this right now."

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The song 'For You' was one of Liam's two non-One Direction tracks to reach the top 10 in the UK official charts. Rita's tribute took place in Osaka, Japan, just hours after the news of Liam's tragic death broke, following a fall from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Rita and Liam, long believed to be tight-knit friends, shared a close bond. Liam even set up residence in Rita's lavish £3.25m ($4.23m) London penthouse back in 2021 alongside his then-fiancee Maya Henry. Post-performance on social media, Rita expressed: "I'm devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget."

Expressing her profound sorrow, she continued, "I loved working with him so much - he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage. 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."

The megastar was met with a tragic end following an accidental fall from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An autopsy report illuminated the cause of Liam's death, attributing it to "multiple traumas" causing "internal and external bleeding" after a 40-foot dive. The report announced ongoing toxicological and anatomical-pathological examinations of his blood and urine to ascertain potential drug use.

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