Rita Ora Performed Her Duet With Liam Payne After His Death

Since Liam Payne’s death on Oct. 16, many celebrities have posted memories about the former One Direction member, including Rita Ora, who gave a particularly emotional tribute during her concert in Japan.

Just a few hours after the news broke on Wednesday night, Ora played her duet with Payne, “For You,” on stage in Osaka. The song was originally created for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, and has been streamed over 460 million times on Spotify.

As she began the performance, Ora projected a photo of the two of them working on the song in studio, but soon sat down on the steps.

“I can’t even sing this right now,” she told the crowd, before burying her head in her hands.

According to fan-captured footage, Ora walked off the stage as the song ended with her arms folded in front of her, seemingly overcome with emotion.

After the duo’s collaboration was released in 2018, they seemed to maintain a close friendship, with Payne even telling press it “didn’t do much” for his personal life, alluding to his split from Cheryl Cole. “I love her, she’s really great and super, super fun to work with,” Payne said of Ora in 2018. “Out of all my collaborations, I’d say she’s one of my favorites.”

Ora also posted about Payne on social media on Oct. 17. “I loved working with him so much - he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage,” she wrote. “Our song For You takes on a whole new meaning for me now.”