Nicole Scherzinger has broken her silence following the tragic death of Liam Payne at the age of 31.

On Friday, the 46-year-old shared an emotional Instagram tribute to Payne.

Alongside Simon Cowell, Scherzinger is credited with forming the late singer’s boy band One Direction, with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, on the 2010 season of ‘The X Factor’.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and cherish the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, to just a few weeks ago,” she wrote alongside two photos of her, Payne and Kelly Rowland . “It was a privilege to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

Scherzinger added, “It’s been so hard to process that you’re gone, but I’m grateful to have gotten to know your kind heart, sweet soul and character.”

The former Pussycat Dolls star concluded: “You brought so much joy, light and laughter into the lives of those who truly knew you. I will miss you my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.”

In August, it was announced that Scherzinger, Rowland, 43, Payne and AJ McLean would star in a new Netflix series called “Building the Band.”

Scherzinger would serve as a mentor and judge, while Payne and Rowland would be the only judges on the show.

The singer also paid her respects during her appearance on “Good Morning America.”

“Liam and I were pretty close, especially because we recently did a show together on Netflix called Building the Band,” she revealed. “And so, yeah, I’m devastated. I am heartbroken for Liam, I am heartbroken for his family, his loved ones and his friends.”

Scherzinger continued, “Liam always led with his heart and with kindness, and I truly hope that is how he will always be remembered.”

The Broadway star’s sweet words come after composer Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed in an interview with Billboard on Thursday that she texted Payne the day he died.

“I guess something that hasn’t been said yet, and I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam (Payne) from One Direction,” says Webber, who composed the music for Scherzinger’s Broadway musical “Sunset Blvd..,” revealed.

“On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day, and (that night) the reviewers came in (for ‘Sunset’), she had just heard he died,” he recalled. “And it the fact that she did the show at all is extraordinary.”

The musician commented, “I mean, she’s an amazing, amazing woman. She is without a doubt one of the best artists I have ever worked with.”

Payne died earlier this month after falling from his third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The boy band alum fractured his skull and died instantly from “very serious injuries,” according to Alberto Crescenti, head of Buenos Aires’ emergency services. He also suffered internal and external bleeding in the skull, thorax, abdomen and extremities, which “contributed to the mechanism of death,” the autopsy said.

Payne also had a toxic cocktail of drugs in his system, which also appeared in his preliminary autopsy report.

According to ABC News, the artist had “pink cocaine” known as Tusi – a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy – benzodiazepine, crack and cocaine in his bloodstream.

The hotel was raided Wednesday evening, with police seizing computer hard drives and hotel surveillance footage, the AP reported.

Police are working overtime to find out who supplied Payne with the drugs and have interviewed several hotel employees.