Liam Payne death: Simon Cowell postpones Britain's Got Talent auditions as mark of respect, new rescheduled date

The former One Direction fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday night (October 16). Authorities have launched a full investigation and autopsy into the circumstances of his passing. The hotel where Payne was staying has not released a statement, but reports indicate that Payne fell from a significant height, leading to his untimely death.

The decision to delay filming was made last minute, with Cowell, who is also a judge on the ITV talent show, leading the move. Applause Store, the company responsible for audience tickets, confirmed the postponement: "Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today's auditions in Blackpool. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."

Cowell and his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI, who is temporarily filling in for Bruno Tonioli - were set to film auditions on Thursday, just two days after starting production for the new series. However, the rescheduled date for the auditions has yet to be confirmed.

Liam Payne's rise to fame began in 2010 when Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger formed One Direction on The X Factor, comprising Liam, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.

This came two years after Payne's first audition for The X Factor in 2008, when at just 14, he impressed the judges with his rendition of Frank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon. Although he was eliminated at the Judges' Houses stage, Simon famously told him to "come back in two years," and Payne did, becoming part of one of the most successful boy bands in history.

Years later, Payne entered into a relationship with former X Factor judge Cheryl, and together they have a son, Bear, now seven.

Payne released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019 which included the singles Polaroid and Familiar. He and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl share a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.

The singer is reported to have fallen from his room in the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in the Argentine capital. Witnesses have told TMZ that the tragic incident occurred just after 5pm local time, and that it came after the pop star was seen behaving erratically in the lobby of the hotel earlier in the day.

The singer attended one of Niall Horan's concerts in Argentina in recent weeks, and the former bandmates actually reunited during the show.