Nicole Scherzinger pays tribute to Liam Payne after text bomb

Nicole Scherzinger has broken her silence following the tragic death of Liam Payne at the age of 31.

On Friday, the 46-year-old shared an emotional Instagram tribute to Payne.

Alongside Simon Cowell, Scherzinger is credited with forming the late singer's boy band One Direction, which included Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, during the 2010 season of The X Factor.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and cherish the time we spent together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born to just a few weeks ago,” she wrote alongside two pictures of her, Payne and Kelly Rowland. “It was a blessing to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will always remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

Scherzinger added, “It's so hard to process that you're no longer here, but I'm grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character.”

The former Pussycat Dolls star concluded: “You brought so much joy, light and laughter into the lives of those who truly knew you.” I will “miss” you, my friend, and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.”

In August, it was announced that Scherzinger, Rowland, 43, Payne and AJ McLean would star in a new Netflix series called Building the Band.

Scherzinger would serve as a mentor and judge, while Payne and Rowland would appear as sole judges on the show.

The singer also paid her respects while appearing on “Good Morning America.”

“Liam and I were pretty close, especially because we recently did a show together on Netflix called Building the Band,” she revealed. “And yes, I’m heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for Liam, I’m heartbroken for his family and his loved ones and his friends.”

Scherzinger continued, “Liam always led with heart and kindness, and I truly hope he will always be remembered that way.”

The Broadway star's sweet words came after composer Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed in an interview with Billboard on Thursday that she texted Payne the day he died.

“I suppose something that wasn't said, and I guess I could say, is that of course she supervised Liam (Payne) from One Direction,” said Webber, who scored Scherzinger's Broadway musical “Sunset Blvd.” .” composed.,” revealed.

“On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him, and (that night) the reviewers (of 'Sunset') came in, she had just found out he had died,” he recalled. “And the fact that she even did the show is extraordinary.”

The musician noted: “I mean, she's an amazing, amazing woman. She is without question one of the best artists I have ever worked with.”

Payne died earlier this month after falling from his third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti, the boy band graduate suffered a fractured skull and died instantly from “very serious injuries.” He also suffered internal and external bleeding in his skull, chest, abdomen and limbs, which the autopsy said “contributed to the mechanism of death.”

Payne also had a toxic cocktail of drugs in his body, which also appeared in his preliminary autopsy report.

According to ABC News, the artist had “pink cocaine” known as Tusi – a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy -, benzodiazepines, crack cocaine and cocaine in his bloodstream.

The hotel was searched Wednesday evening, with police seizing computer hard drives and hotel surveillance footage, the AP reported.

Police are working overtime to find out who supplied Payne with the drugs and have interviewed several hotel employees.