Rita Ora tears up during tribute to Liam Payne at MTV Awards

'He brought so much joy to every room he walked into'

Ora was hosting the awards show in Manchester on Sunday night when she delivered a tribute to the late One Direction star towards the end of the night.

Payne passed away last month at the age of 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The pair had collaborated together on their 2018 hit single For You, and Ora described him as "one of the kindest people that I knew."

Dressed in a dark suit for the poignant tribute, her voice cracked and she began to tear up as she spoke.

She told the audience: "I just want to take a moment to remember someone that was very, very dear to us.

"We lost him recently, and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world, and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight."

She continued: "Liam Payne was one of the kindest people that I knew. And, you know, there were so many ways that we were talking about honouring him, and I think sometimes just simply speaking is enough.

"He had the biggest heart, and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could.

"He brought so much joy to every room he walked into, and he left such a mark on this world. So let's just take a moment to remember our friend."

The pop star then introduced a short montage of photos of Payne and a snippet of One Direction's hit song Night Changes.

Last week, Argentinian police confirmed three people had been arrested in connection with Payne's death.

Following a forensic psychiatric report, prosecutors have ruled out third party involvement and self-harm in his death.

His body has been returned to his family.