Liam Payne's mentor Nicole Scherzinger posts heartbreaking photo of last time she saw him weeks ago

has posted a heartbreaking photo of the she saw .

plunged to his death from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 October, and officials are conducting an investigation into his tragic passing. The former star was believed to have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he died, and his heartbroken father Geoff is in the country to help prosecutors with their investigation.

Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole first met Liam when he auditioned in 2010 on The , and she was one of the judges on the show that suggested putting Liam, , Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik together. In a poignant post on social media on Thursday, Nicole recalled the last time she saw the Strip That Down hitmaker, and shared her grief over his death.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago,” she began. “It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”

The snap she posted showed Liam looking relaxed and happy as he smiled at the camera, alongside Nicole and Kelly Rowland. “It’s been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character. You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you. I will “miss you” my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family,” the heartbroken singer added.

Nicole and Liam’s friendship goes back to 2010, when he auditioned on The X Factor and was put together by the judges, with Nicole serving as a guest judge and the mastermind behind putting the band together, while Cheryl Tweedy was ill with malaria. Nicole worked closely with Liam and his bandmates, and it was revealed after his death that she had been messaging the singer on the day he died in Argentina.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is working with Nicole on the Broadway musical Sunset Blvd., spoke about the star of his show after he was asked about Liam’s death in an interview with Billboard. “I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction. On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day,” he stated.

He said Nicole learned of Liam’s death just moments before she took to the stage in New York, and still delivered an incredible performance, despite her heartbreak. “She’d just heard that he died. And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean she is an amazing, amazing woman,” Andrew gushed.

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