CNN
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Nicole Scherzinger was part of Liam Payne’s career rise and now she’s paying tribute to him.

Payne recently died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

The group that made him famous, One Direction, was formed on the British reality show “The X Factor” while Scherzinger was a judge.

On Thursday, she wrote on social media: “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.”

“It was such a blessing to work with you recently,” her post continued. “We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

Scherzinger added that it was “so hard to process that you are gone, but I am grateful to have gotten to know your kind heart, sweet soul and character.”

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

Scherzinger, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls, currently stars in ‘Sunset Blvd.’ on Broadway, including compositions by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Webber spoke to Billboard about Scherzinger discovering that her mentee Payne had passed away.

“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,” Webber said. “And the fact that she did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean, she’s a wonderful, wonderful woman. She is without a doubt one of the best artists I have ever worked with.”

CNN has reached out to Scherzinger’s representatives for confirmation/comment.