Simon Cowell canceled a taping of Britain’s Got Talent on Thursday after the death of former reality talent show contestant and One Direction member Liam Payne.
Cowell, 65, created both BGT and X Factor, where One Direction was formed in 2010. The boy band finished third on the reality talent show but quickly signed a record deal with Cowell’s label Syco Music.
One Direction’s breakout song “What Makes You Beautiful,” as well as “Night Changes,” “Story of My Like,” and “Drag Me Down” all have over 1 billion Spotify streams. Despite the group going on hiatus in 2016, One Direction has over 42 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
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While Cowell has yet to publicly address Payne’s death, BGT hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, better known as Ant and Dec, were photographed looking somber as they left The Grand Hotel in Lytham Saint Annes in Lancashire on Thursday.
Newsweek has contacted reps for Britain’s Got Talent and Cowell for comment.
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Katie Waissel, who competed on X Factor with Payne, addressed his death, in a tweet Wednesday. “My heart is completely torn to shreds right now, I am at an absolute loss for words.”
“If Simon Cowell dare put a statement out on the heart wrenching, tragic loss of my dear and darling friend Liam, he would be a fool,” she added. “We all know the truth… and I’ll be sure it all comes out. #justiceforliam”
Cowell isn’t the only person in entertainment postponing events in light of Payne’s passing.
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Perrie Edwards, a member of the former British girl group Little Mix who was previously engaged to Payne’s former bandmate Zayn Malik, canceled her upcoming appearance for BBC’s Radio One.
“We’ve just had some news on our show that because of the sad news of Liam Payne earlier, we have heard that Perrie is not going to be in the Live Lounge tomorrow,” radio hosts Rickie Haywood-Williams, Melvin Odoom and Charlie Hedges announced Thursday.
“She was supposed to be performing but that’s now not happening tomorrow but it will be happening at a later date.”
Newsweek has also contacted reps for Edwards for comment.
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A preliminary autopsy report released Thursday states Payne died from “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” sustained from falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
Police told The Associated Press in a statement that Payne, 31, “had jumped from the balcony of his room.”
As the manner of death is being investigated, toxicology reports are pending.
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Police found substances inside the room that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic beverages, though this is pending confirmation from experts. They also observed several destroyed objects and furniture.
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