'Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell Has Halted Auditions In Memory Of Liam Payne

Simon Cowell will not hold auditions for "Britain's Got Talent" in the wake of Liam Payne's tragic death.

The former One Direction member passed away yesterday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 31 years old. The singer fell from his third-floor hotel balcony, suffering "multiple injuries," which included "a fractured skull," as previously reported by The Blast.

Payne's career began with the help of media mogul, Cowell, and he has taken a moment to remember the "Teardrops" singer.

Cowell, 65, has judged a handful of American and British talent competitions, including The X Factor. Payne rose to fame as a member of One Direction; the boyband got their start in the competition in the early 2010s. One Direction is also responsible for the careers of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.

Mr. Cowell is also a judge on Britain's Got Talent, which is currently about to begin the audition process for the talent program's 19th season.

Auditions in Blackpool were previously going to be held on October 17.

The television personality announced "Britain's Got Talent" would be postponing the auditions in Blackpool.

"Britain's Got Talent's" ticket company, ApplauseStore, announced via their X account, "Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today's auditions in Blackpool."

The company also apologized for any inconvenience the announcement may have caused prospective auditioners, per Page Six.

Payne was also the subject of a tribute post from the company. The post read, "We are devastated about the very sad news about @LiamPayne. We send our love, strength and condolences to all his loved ones, family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

The former One Direction singer passed away yesterday afternoon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne fell from the CasaSur Hotel, which is located in the Argentinean capital.

The singer "suffered life-altering degrees of injuries, including a fractured skull," per a report from the Daily Mail. Payne had "landed on a patio close to the hotel's swimming pool."

He had died by the time the paramedics arrived at 5:00. The head of emergency services described the singer as having a "cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries leading to his immediate death.

Speaking to television, Alberto Crescenti explained, "Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life."

Payne's identity had later been confirmed via his passport, according to the Daily Mail, but police have not determined why the singer fell, as The Blast previously reported. The singer's body has reportedly been transported to a local morgue to be examined.

His girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had previously been in Argentina two days ago but has left the country; the duo were in the country to see Horan in concert.

The singer had been seen allegedly acting "erratic" in the hotel lobby earlier in the afternoon.

Payne reportedly "smashed his laptop" and had to be "carried back to his room" prior to his passing.

Local newspapers reported police were called to the Palermero neighborhood following reports of "an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol," per a report from Reuters.

Payne had been open about his mental health struggles with fans. He discussed what he had learned following a stay in a United States-based clinic on his Instagram stories last year.

In the video, he discussed hitting "rock bottom," and his initial reluctance to share the video; he revealed "I filmed a bunch of these over time and deleted them, but I don't know whether this is the right time," in the beginning of the video.

Payne got through that particular video from July 2023 and proclaimed he hoped it "helped" fans seeking like-minded community.