Rita Ora fights back tears in emotional tribute to Liam Payne on stage at the MTV EMAs

The MTV EMAs paid a moving tribute to former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who tragically died last month after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires

Rita Ora has paid a moving tribute to Liam Payne as she presented the MTV Europe Music Awards tonight, saying he had “the biggest heart” and was always available to help others.

The former One Direction singer tragically died at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16. He had been in the country for a holiday and even attended his old pal Niall Horan’s concert with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.

His heartbroken friends, family and fans paid tribute to the star with their own tear-jerking statements shared on social media. Fighting back tears, Rita paid tribute to Liam saying: “He had the biggest heart, he was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could. He put so much joy into every room he walked in.”

Liam performing in December 2019 ( 
Image:
NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“And he left such a mark on this world,” she added, as the audience clapped, urging everyone to “take a moment” to remember Liam. The popular One Directions song “Night Changes” then played, leaving the public emotional.

This year’s EMAs are being held in Manchester for the first time in the event’s 30-year history. Hosted by pop star Rita Ora, the event features performances from the likes of Raye, Pet Shop Boys, Shawn Mendes, Benson Boone and Tyla, with a number of other stars set to watch the event after walking the lavish red carpet.

Bruce Gillmer, the event’s executive producer and president of music and chief content officer for music at MTV parent company Paramount+, promised the event would be an “amazing global music celebration” as he told Billboard: “There’s a lot of pent-up excitement for the show coming back.” He had also promised that the show would pay tribute to Liam, saying he “was an artist that was incredibly close with our core audience.”

Mr Gillmer told the publication: “Obviously, Liam was an artist that was incredibly close with our core audience and even with some of our staff and our host, Rita Ora. We have to be somewhat sensitive to the timing of it. It’s all very new.

“So, we’re not looking to do anything out-of-bounds. But, for sure, there’ll be an acknowledgement of his passing. It’s appropriate given the connection to the audience and what he means to the brand.” The awards ceremony is broadcast on a number of TV channels, with MTV UK airing the event from 9pm. The channel is available on channel 126 on Sky and channel 134 on Virgin Media. MTV can also be streamed via Now TV.