Release of new single featuring late One Direction star Liam Payne pushed back

The release of a new single featuring Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who died earlier this month after falling from his Buenos Aires hotel room, has been postponed, a collaborator said on Tuesday. 

US singer and songwriter Sam Pounds had earlier said on social media that the track, 'Do No Wrong,' would be released on Friday as a "blessing to the world."

But later on Tuesday, he said the release would be postponed.

"Even though we all love the song it's not the time yet," he wrote in a post on X. "We are all still mourning the passing of Liam and I want the family to mourn in peace and in prayer. We will all wait."

Payne was found dead on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentinian capital.

His death, aged 31, prompted a global outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.

Hotel staff had called emergency services twice to report a guest "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" who was "destroying" a hotel room. 

Payne had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and coping with fame from an early age.

The musician had collaborated on 'Do No Wrong' with North Carolina singer Pounds prior to his death, with three versions of the song set eventually to be released, including a live mix and a cappella single.

Payne's last solo work, a single called 'Teardrops,' was released in March, with a second album teased at the time.

The day after his death, Pounds posted a montage of tributes to him on Instagram, including a video of Payne in the recording studio for the track.

"I can't believe I'm writing this post. I can't believe you are gone in this way," he wrote.

– TIMES/AFP