Liam Payne's mentor Nicole Scherzinger posts heartbreaking photo of last time she saw him weeks ago

Nicole Scherzinger served as a judge on The X Factor when One Direction were created, and recently revealed she was messaging Liam Payne on the day he fell to his death in Argentina

Nicole Scherzinger has posted a heartbreaking photo of the last time she saw Liam Payne.

The 31-year-old singer plunged to his death from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 October, and officials are conducting an investigation into his tragic passing. The former One Direction star was believed to have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he died, and his heartbroken father Geoff is in the country to help prosecutors with their investigation.

Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole first met Liam when he auditioned in 2010 on The X Factor, and she was one of the judges on the ITV show that suggested putting Liam, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik together. In a poignant post on social media on Thursday, Nicole recalled the last time she saw the Strip That Down hitmaker, and shared her grief over his death.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago,” she began. “It was such a blessing to get 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.”

The snap she posted showed Liam looking relaxed and happy as he smiled at the camera, alongside Nicole and Kelly Rowland. “It’s been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character. You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you. I will “miss you” my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family,” the heartbroken singer added.