The former X Factor judge took to Instagram on Thursday night to pay tribute to the One Direction star following his shock death on Wednesday.
In her emotional post, Sharon said the music industry had failed Liam, who shot to fame as a teenager on the talent show.
“Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them?” she wrote alongside a black and white photo of the singer. “You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner?”
Sharon concluded the post, “Rest in peace my friend.”
Liam died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
The local prosecutor’s office has indicated that the musician was alone at the time of the fall and that he appeared to be “going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse”.
According to witnesses, the For You singer had been acting erratically shortly before the incident and was escorted to his room. A guest at the hotel later claimed to have heard a “loud, violent scream” before he was found dead.
Sharon was not a judge on The X Factor for the two seasons Liam participated in.
The late star first competed on the show in 2008 at the age of 14. He returned two years later and was put into a group with fellow solo contestants Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. One Direction finished third on the show but went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
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