'I'm heartbroken': Nicole Scherzinger remembers friend Liam Payne after his tragic death

Nicole Scherzinger is remembering her friend Liam Payne in the wake of the former One Direction singer's tragic death.

"Liam and I were quite close…" Scherzinger said Friday on "Good Morning America." "And so, yeah, I'm heartbroken."

"I'm heartbroken for Liam. I'm heartbroken for his family and his loved ones and his fans," she continued. "Liam always led with his heart and with kindness, and I really hope that's how he'll always be remembered."

Scherzinger said she and Payne had become "especially" tight recently after filming the Netflix series "Building the Band."

The show, announced by Netflix in August, features Scherzinger as judge and mentor with Payne and Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland joining her on the judging panel. Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean was announced as host.

Payne died Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

On Thursday, Scherzinger shared an Instagram post dedicated to Payne, featuring a photo of them alongside Rowland. In the post, Scherzinger wrote that she will "forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together" and said it was "a blessing" to work with Payne recently.

"We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had," she continued in the post. "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."

Elsewhere in her chat with "GMA" on Friday, Scherzinger opened up about making her Broadway debut in the buzzy new revival of "Sunset Boulevard."

"It is a dream come true," she said, calling musical theater "my first love."

Scherzinger plays the lead role of Norma Desmond, which Glenn Close played in the original 1994 Broadway production -- winning the Tony -- as well as in the 2017 revival.

The former Pussycat Dolls singer, who has already played Norma on London's West End, revealed how Close helped her celebrate her first opening night on Broadway.

"She was so kind on my opening night. She sent me these beautiful roses and a note that said something like, 'There's no doubt that you'll take New York by storm. Welcome to Broadway,'" she shared. "What a way to have your first opening night on Broadway!"

Scherzinger also told "GMA" what returning to Disney for the upcoming sequel "Moana 2" meant to her, revealing the inspiration behind her role as Moana's mom.

"I'm proud to be of Hawaiian descent and I'm proud of ... the representation for the Polynesian people and the story," she said of the film, in theaters Nov. 27. "I think from my role, I was deeply inspired by the beautiful women of my family and my ancestors that came before me. Just want to make them proud."

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