ITV This Morning viewers in tears as show pays tribute to Liam Payne

In a heartfelt homage, This Morning honoured the late One Direction icon Liam Payne after his sudden death at the age of 31.

The devastating news broke that Liam had tragically fallen from a balcony in Buenos Aires' Palermo district. An autopsy and full inquiry into the singer's untimely demise have been promised by Argentine officials.

Presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley introduced the show with Liam's inaugural X Factor audition, a poignant reminder of his talent when he was 14 years old, and reflected on the sorrowful event of his passing.

Throughout today's broadcast, stars like Dermot O'Leary, and bands including Busted and McFly, offered their respects to Liam, culminating in a powerful video montage that touched fans deeply as the credits were played.

Social media users expressed their deep sorrow, with tweets rolling in mourning the loss: "#ThisMorning Paying tribute to @LiamPayne. I am in tears.", reports the Mirror.

Others commented, "My God, the montage has broke me #ThisMorning." and another mentioned: "That was sad #thismorning."

Dermot OLeary shared his own emotional response: "I just thought of his family, I thought of his son and then I thought of his parents. I mean no parent should have to bury their son or their daughter."

He continued on a sombre note: "Obviously our thoughts and our prayers, our candles are half-lit for his family. That goes without saying."

Liam rose to stardom from his first appearance on X Factor at just 14, returning two years later to lead him on a path to global fame with the band.

At the tender age of 16, he was catapulted into the boy band One Direction, who secured third place in the 2010 X-Factor competition. Despite not winning, the group soared to international fame, churning out chart-topping hits around the globe.

Dermot reminisced about his X-Factor days, saying: "You get to know the families so well in such a short period of time. His mum and dad were just adorable. They were never pushy, this was very much his dream. He loved, he just loved to sing."

The last encounter Dermot had with Liam was at Soccer Aid some years back, and he had nothing but warm words for the departed icon. He reflected: "He was both wise and sort of a young soul at the exactly same time. He had this old bones about him, like his musical taste."

"Yet, he was always quite beautifully wide-eyed about the world and his place in it. It's such a huge amount of pressure to be put on young shoulders."

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10am