Auditions for the new series of Britain's Got Talent have been postponed following the tragic death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne at the age of 31.
One Direction was formed in 2010 after singers Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson auditioned as solo X Factor contestants.
The group signed with Simon Cowell after coming in third place during the seventh series of the popular singing contest.
They went on to release hit songs like What Makes You Beautiful, Story of My Life and Perfect until they took an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
BGT Judges 🤝 Red Carpet#BGT pic.twitter.com/ax3L4jQ2Lo
— BGT (@BGT) October 16, 2024
Britain's Got Talent auditions postponed after Liam Payne's tragic death
Discussing the change, a spokesman for Britain's Got Talent producer, Freemantle UK, said: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.”
The producer has not said when the auditions will resume.
This comes after the ITV show’s latest round of auditions were held in Blackpool on Wednesday.
Liam Payne died just hours after posting to the popular social media and messaging platform Snapchat.
We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.
— The X Factor (@TheXFactor) October 17, 2024
He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world.
Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him. pic.twitter.com/wOXUTKPUiR
Recommended Reading:
Ex-One Direction star Liam Payne's last social media post hours before his death
Olly Murs leads tributes to Liam Payne following 'devastating' death
Local police said the 31-year-old fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital before medics confirmed his death.
On Snapchat, the X Factor star had uploaded videos earlier on and spoke to his followers about his plans while on holiday, saying it was a "lovely day in Argentina" and that he also planned to play polo.
However, it appears the videos were posted days after they were filmed, as they include Liam’s girlfriend of two years, Kate Cassidy, who uploaded videos of her return to Florida on social media earlier in the week.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here