Audition for Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent were postponed on Thursday (October 17) due to the shocking death of Liam Payne the previous day.
The decision was confirmed by the Applause Store, which handles ticketing for the talent show competition, on X morning auditions were scheduled to take place in England. “Due to the tragic death of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today's auditions in Blackpool,” the company wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
According to the listening area websiteThursday was supposed to be the finale of three consecutive days of auditions in the city. At press time, the show has not said when the auditions will be rescheduled.
Cowell gushed Britain's Got Talent in 2007, three years after it launched its UK version The X Factor. The late “Strip That Down” singer — who died at age 31 on Wednesday (October 16) after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina — began in 2010 on the latest talent show, which placed him in the band One Direction with fellow-turned-bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. The band went on to have four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 before parting ways in 2015, after which Payne embarked on a solo career.
In the wake of his death, The X Factor shared a touching tribute to the late pop singer. “We are devastated by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” read a message posted on the show's social media accounts on Wednesday. “He was incredibly 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.”
Countless musicians, entertainment industry peers and fans have also taken to social media to mourn Payne over the past 24 hours, including Zedd, Paris Hilton, Charlie Puth, the Backstreet Boys, Ty Dolla $ign and more. The “Get Low” artist's family shared a statement with the BBC on Thursday. “We are devastated. Liam will live forever in our hearts and will be remembered for his kind, funny and brave soul,” the message read. “We are supporting each other as best we can as a family and are asking for privacy and space at this awful time.”
See Applause Store's tweet below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/liam-payne-dead-simon-cowell-britains-got-talent-postpones-auditions-1235803977/
