Simon Cowell has halted Thursday's auditions for Britain's Got Talent following the tragic death of Liam Payne aged 31.
The Strip That Down hit-maker died in Argentina on Wednesday evening after a fall from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, police said.
Following news of Payne’s death, Cowell, who helped form One Direction on 2010’s X Factor, made the decision to call off the auditions in Blackpool.
A spokesman for the ITV programme’s producer, Freemantle UK, said: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.”
A call will be made later about whether the rest of this week’s auditions will also be postponed.
Applause Store, the ticket organiser for production, released a statement saying: “Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today's auditions in Blackpool. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Auditions for the new series of Britain’s Got Talent began on Tuesday in front of judges Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI.
Holden, 53, paid tribute to Payne on social media, sharing a heartfelt message along with an old photo of the two.
She penned alongside the image: “Such an awful tragedy. Sending love to his family and all those who loved him.”
Payne plunged to his death from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood, according to authorities.
The circumstances around his death are still being investigated.
A transcript of an emergency call placed by the hotel revealed it had requested help due to a guest “drunk with drugs and alcohol”.
The worker said: “We need to send someone with urgency because I don't know if the guest's life is in danger because he is in a room with balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life."
One Direction - which also consisted of members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - became one of the biggest pop groups in the world with five albums and four world tours after being put together by Simon Cowell on the X Factor in 2010.
The band went on indefinite hiatus after Malik announced his departure in 2015 - and went on to forge solo careers.
Wolverhampton-born Payne is survived by his parents, Karen and Geoff, his sisters Nicola and Ruth, as well as his seven-year-old son Bear from a former relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, 41.
