PREVIEW

Simon Cowell cancels Britain's Got Talent auditions after Liam Payne's death. The TV personality and record executive has cancelled Thursday's auditions following the One Direction star's tragic death on Wednesday at the age of 31. Liam died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The following day, it was announced that Simon - who famously formed One Direction on The X Factor in 2010 - had paused filming his show Britain's Got Talent. Applause Store, the organisers of the talent show, announced in a statement: ”Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today's auditions in Blackpool. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.” Judges Simon, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI were set to continue filming after the auditions began on Tuesday. Amanda took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to pay tribute to the Strip That Down singer. ”Such an awful tragedy. Sending love to his family and all those who loved him.” Representatives for The X Factor have also released a statement following the star's sudden passing. ”We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. 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.” Liam first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was only 14. He was eliminated during the Judges' Houses round and encouraged by Cowell to try again when he was older. He returned in 2010 and was put in a group of fellow solo contestants Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan. They finished third in the series and went on to become one of the best-selling boy groups of all time. Simon has yet to comment on Liam's death.
Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT