“I’d known he was in Argentina”: Nicole Scherzinger recalls texting Liam Payne on the day singer fell to his death

Nicole Scherzinger remembered her final exchange with Liam Payne as a light, casual chat, never imagining it would be their last. Liam Payne, who found global fame with One Direction, died in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Nicole Scherzinger shared about her final conversation with Payne in a report shared by The Times of London.

She shared.

“I’d known he was in Argentina, It was just chit-chat and pretty light.”

Their connection stretched back over a decade. Nicole Scherzinger first met a teenage Payne during his X Factor UK audition in 2010, when she famously suggested pairing him with four other hopefuls, creating one of pop’s biggest boy bands. Years later, they reunited as mentors on Netflix’s Building the Band.

She states,

“I just adored Liam. He had such a good heart, I barely knew him when I put One Direction together. I just saw these talented boys and was like, ‘I’m coming out of a girl group — I know the power of a group'."

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Nicole Scherzinger opens up about honoring Liam Payne:

Nicole Scherzinger discovered that Liam Payne had died shortly before she was scheduled to perform in Sunset Blvd. on Broadway. Scherzinger added,

“The show must go on. From then on, I dedicated a little part of the show to Liam every night. Just a little moment that always made me think of him."

As per her interview with the Times of London, Nicole Scherzinger said the tragedy made her reexamine her perspective on life. Further stating,

“We need more compassion in the world, our phones are our enemies as much as they help us. I wish we’d cancel ‘cancel culture'."

Nicole Scherzinger had addressed her grief publicly weeks later in a heartfelt Instagram post.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from 15 years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago, It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

She continued,

“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. You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you. I will ‘miss you’ my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family."

When Building the Band later aired with a tribute to Payne, Nicole Scherzinger admitted that rewatching the series was emotional. “We’re so proud of him,” she said on Late Night With Seth Meyers in July.

“He had such an amazing time. We had so much fun doing the show together, and he’s such a beautiful, kind soul and heart. We would have never continued, you know, shared the show unless we had his family’s blessings. We’re just really proud of him, and I’m excited for everyone to see Liam shine,” shared Nicole Scherzinger.

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Liam Payne remembered: A life in music cut short at 31

It was mid-October when news broke that Liam Payne had died. He was only 31. Multiple outlets like CNN and TMZ confirmed the reports, stating the former One Direction singer had fallen from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Payne’s career had begun long before fame caught up with him. Back in 2008, he stepped onto The X Factor UK stage as a teenager, confident but still rough around the edges. He didn’t make it far that first time, but two years later, he returned, older, sharper, and determined. That second audition changed everything. Judges decided to place him in a group with four others: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. One Direction was born almost by accident.

The band’s rise was fast. From 2011 through 2014, they released four studio albums, toured the world, and built a fan base that defined a generation of pop. Then came a turning point. In March 2015, Malik announced that he was leaving. Malik shared,

"My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined, but, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight."

Later that year, the remaining members put out Made in the A.M., their fifth and final record together. By August, Payne, Horan, Styles, and Tomlinson had agreed to take a hiatus starting in 2016, one that quietly became permanent as each pursued solo projects.

Payne tried to carve out his own lane after that. In 2022, he sat down with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast and made headlines for saying his first solo single, “Strip That Down,” had outsold the rest of the band’s releases. He also mentioned there were “many reasons why I dislike Zayn.”

Not long after, he backtracked on X, admitting his words hadn’t come out the way he intended. He reiterated,

“I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side, that’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever."

The X-Factor judges, including Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, and Louis Walsh, put together One Direction in 2010.

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