Rita Ora paid tribute to Liam Payne, the One Direction member who died on Oct. 16 from injuries sustained after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Argentina, during the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards. The ceremony was held in in Manchester, England at Co-op Live on Sunday.
“I just want to take a moment to remember someone that was very, very dear to us,” Ora, who is serving as MTV EMA host for the third time, said. “We lost him recently, and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world, and I think a lot of yours at home, and everybody in here tonight.”
Ora, who collaborated with Payne on 2018’s “For You,” said that Payne was one of the kindest people that she knew, and added that she and the MTV EMAs organizers had discussed “so many ways that we were talking about honoring him.”
“I think sometimes just simply speaking is enough,” she continued. “He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could.
“He brought so much joy to every room he walked into, and he left such a mark on this world,” she said, tearfully. “So, let’s just take a moment to remember our friend Liam.”
The program then cut to a screen featuring photos of Payne that read, “MTV remembers Liam Payne 1993 – 2024” as a snippet from One Direction’s “Night Changes” played.
Last month, Ora paid tribute to Payne just hours after his death while she was performing in Osaka, Japan. During her set, she delivered an emotional rendition of their song, “For You.”
“I can’t even sing this right now,” Ora told the crowd in Japan before asking them, “Can you sing this for me?” A photo of Ora and Payne then appeared on the video screen as the singer exited the stage.