‘I’m heartbroken’: Nicole Scherzinger remembers friend Liam Payne after his death

Nicole Scherzinger is remembering her friend Liam Payne in the wake of the former One Direction singer’s death.

“Liam and I were quite close,” Scherzinger said Friday on Good Morning America. “And so, yeah, I’m heartbroken.”

“I’m heartbroken for Liam. I’m heartbroken for his family and his loved ones and his fans,” she continued. “Liam always led with his heart and with kindness, and I really hope that’s how he’ll always be remembered.”

Scherzinger said she and Payne had become “especially” tight recently after filming the Netflix series Building the Band.

The show, announced by Netflix in August, features Scherzinger as judge and mentor, with Payne and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland joining her on the judging panel. Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean was announced as host.

Payne died Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

On Thursday, Scherzinger shared an Instagram post dedicated to Payne, featuring a photo of them alongside Rowland. In the post, Scherzinger wrote that she will “forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together” and said it was “a blessing” to work with Payne recently.

“We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had,” she continued in the post. “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.”