Naomi Campbell responds to Liam Payne’s death following previous romance rumors

Naomi Campbell shares her reaction to Liam Payne’s death for the first time.

The supermodel, 54, commented on Nicole Scherzinger’s Instagram post on Friday, October 25, honoring Payne following his death on October 16.

Scherzinger, 46, discussed her friendship over the years with Payne while sending her condolences to his family and friends, while Campbell shared her reaction to the emotional tribute in the comments section, posting: “🕊️💔🕊️🙏🏾.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Campbell’s reps for further comment.

Payne died at the age of 31 after falling from several stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE.

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Campbell and Payne first sparked romance rumors in early 2019 after they were photographed at several of the same events and exchanged flirty social media posts.

The pair attended a Formula E event in Hong Kong in March that year, although they say they were not photographed together The sun. That same month, British newspaper Subway said Campbell and Payne attended an event at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The supermodel and the late singer also exchanged flirty messages on Instagram at the time of the dating rumors. In January 2019, Campbell said, “Beautiful soul” under a shirtless photo of Payne, as he wrote days later in a comment on a selfie Campbell posted, “Perfection in a person…”

While it appears on Watch what’s happening live in December 2019, Payne declined to comment on the romance rumors when questioned by host Andy Cohen during a game of “Plead the Fifth.”

“I plead the fifth – it’s my right as a human being,” he joked on the show at the time.

Campbell also declined to comment on the dating rumors between the pair when she appeared The Jonathan Ross Show in March 2019. “I never discuss my personal life,” she responded when asked about the nature of her relationship with Payne.

Campbell’s response to Scherzinger’s tribute to Payne comes as the singer and talent show host spoke about her bond with Payne after working with him early in his career as part of the band One Direction on The X factor.

“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and cherish the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, to just a few weeks ago,” Scherzinger wrote alongside two photos of her, Payne and Kelly Rowland .

“It was a privilege to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had,” the former Pussycat Dolls star continued. “It was so hard to process that you are no longer here… I will miss you. ‘my friend and carry you in my heart.’