Rita Ora has been left “devastated” by the death of her collaborator Liam Payne.
The singer, who teamed up with the One Direction star on the 2018 song For You, remembered Liam on social media on Thursday by posting a carousel of photos of them working on the track in the studio, going on a publicity tour and shooting the music video.
“I’m devastated,” Rita captioned her Instagram post, adding a heartbroken emoji. “He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. 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.”
She continued, “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 (dove emoji).”
The romantic song, which appeared on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, features the lyrics, “Been waiting for a lifetime for you/ Been breaking for a lifetime for you” and “I’ll be yours for a thousand lives”.
Liam and Rita embarked on a massive press tour to promote the song and performed it together on stage several times, most notably at the 2018 BRIT Awards.
The Anywhere singer isn’t the only one to pay tribute to a former collaborator. DJ Zedd, who worked with Liam on the 2017 song Get Low, wrote on X, “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking …”
In addition, fellow X Factor alum Perrie Edwards pulled out of an upcoming radio appearance on Friday due to the tragedy. She was engaged to Liam’s bandmate Zayn Malik between 2013 and 2015.
The Strip That Down hitmaker died on Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
