The MTV Awards emcee, Rita Ora, delivered a heartfelt homage to her close friend Liam Payne during the ceremony, expressing that he possessed the “largest heart”.
Ora, who collaborated with Payne on the track For You in 2018, became visibly emotional as she reflected on the One Direction member towards the conclusion of the event.
The 31-year-old music artist tragically passed away after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16.
While addressing the audience at the MTV Europe Awards in Manchester, Ora referred to Payne as “one of the most compassionate individuals” she had ever encountered.
Liam Payne passed away last month in Buenos Aires. Pic: PA
“He was incredibly kind-hearted and always the first to provide assistance in every possible way,” she stated. “He filled every space he entered with happiness and made an indelible impact on the world.”
This marks the first occasion the MTV awards have been hosted in the UK since 2017, when the event took place in London.
While previous ceremonies have been conducted in Liverpool and Glasgow, this is Manchester’s first hosting, at the newly established Co-op Live arena which was inaugurated earlier this year, albeit three weeks later than expected due to various setbacks and cancellations.
Last year’s EMAs were scheduled for Paris, but were cancelled due to security issues caused by “the unstable nature of current global affairs” following the eruption of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The European awards are distinct from the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which occur in the US earlier in the calendar year.
Swift also triumphed at that event, bagging seven awards to equal Beyoncé’s career total of 30, thereby tying with her as the most-awarded artist in VMAs history.
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