Simon Cowell postponed Thursday's "Britain's Got Talent" auditions after finding out about his protégé Liam Payne's tragic death.
"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," ApplauseStore, which manages tickets for the show, announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
In a separate post, they paid tribute to the One Director band member, writing, "We are devastated about the very sad news about @LiamPayne. We send our love, strength and condolences to all his loved ones, family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
Per the DailyMail, who got a similar statement from the show's producer, Freemantle UK, Cowell called off the auditions at the last minute. The auditions were set to be held in Blackpool, England.
Page Six has reached out to Cowell's rep for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Cowell, 65, famously formed Payne's boy band group, One Direction, on "X Factor" in 2010.
The former "American Idol" judge was the first manager of the boy band, which also included Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
Payne originally appeared on Cowell's radar when he entered the "X Factor" as a solo act and made it to the judges' house stage. Two years later, he returned to the British reality television music competition and joined One Direction with the other then-teens.
One Direction finished the competition in third place and signed with Cowell's Syco Entertainment record label.
Throughout their five-year run, the band made music history, becoming the only group in the history of the Billboard 200 albums chart to have their first four albums debut at No. 1.
On Wednesday, Payne died after falling from his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
According to local police, the "Night Changes" singer's fall resulted in "extremely serious injuries," including a fractured skull as well as internal and external bleeding.
The pop star was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.
Moments before Payne's body was discovered in the hotel courtyard, cops had been called about an "aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol" and was later identified to be the singer.
The dad of one was reportedly acting erratic in the hotel lobby, had smashed his laptop and was carried back to his room before his fatal fall.
Additionally, Payne's destroyed hotel room was filled with drug paraphernalia, including pieces of aluminum foil and a white powdery substance.
The "For You" singer traveled to Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, on Sept. 30, but she left the country two days before his death.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey, whom he shares with ex Cheryl Cole.
