Simon Cowell has responded to the sudden death of One Direction star Liam Payne by cancelling the filming of Britain’s Got Talent.

Payne, who rose to international fame when One Direction was formed on The X Factor, was found dead after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The singer had been in the country partly to support his former bandmate Niall Horan, who had been performing in Buenos Aires. Payne had attended Horan’s concert earlier this month with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, before deciding to extend his stay in the country.

Simon Cowell, who formed One Direction on The X Factor and was their first manager, has reacted to the news by halting the filming of ITV’s new series of Britain’s Got Talent, which features Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and guest judge KSI on the judging panel.

The show, created by Cowell, was in the process of filming the audition stage in Blackpool.

In a statement, Applause Store, the organisers of the tickets for filming, announced: “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.”

Payne initially entered The X Factor as a solo artist in 2008 and made it through to the judges’ houses stage of the competition. He returned two years later, in 2010, and was placed in a boy band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, forming One Direction.

After finishing in third place, the band were signed to judge Simon Cowell’s record label, Syco Entertainment. The group went on to achieve international success, becoming the first boy band in US chart history to release two No. 1 albums in the same calendar year.

So far, no members of One Direction have made a public statement regarding their bandmate’s death. However, the official X/Twitter account for The X Factor posted: “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.”

“He was immensely 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,” the statement continued.

Local authorities in Buenos Aires have announced they will conduct an autopsy and investigate the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.

It has since emerged that a hotel employee made a distressed call to the police shortly before his death, during which they stated that a guest was “destroying everything in his room” and appeared to be “under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”