Shawn Mendes paid tribute to Liam Payne at his show Friday night (Oct. 18) at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater.

Speaking from the stage, an emotional Mendes told the crowd he had met Payne “a couple of times” and described his impressions of the late One Direction member, who died at age 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday night (Oct. 16).

“I got to meet Liam a couple of times, and he was a beautiful soul and his eyes gleamed, it was beautiful,” Mendes began. “It’s about grieving those we miss with tears and it’s also about celebrating them and who they were and what they left in this world and I just want to take a second to send so much love to him wherever he is up there. Liam, we love you. The world is crying for you, brother, and we’re all praying for your son and your family. I miss you. This one’s for you tonight, Liam, from all of us.”

Following his comments, Mendes launched into “Heart of Gold,” a yet-to-be-released song he has performed live previously.

“You had a heart of gold/You left too soon, it was out of your control/Underneath your skin and bone/You had a heart of gold,” Mendes sings in the chorus.

You can watch video of the moment here.

In the wake of Payne’s untimely death, a number of celebrities have paid tribute to the singer, with his four One Direction bandmates releasing a joint statement on Thursday (Oct. 17) saying they are “completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.” All four also released individual statements mourning their late collaborator. And on Friday, X Factor creator Simon Cowell — who gave Payne his start by placing him in One Direction in 2010 — said he was “devastated” and “heartbroken” over the loss.

Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, the convicted drug trafficker and money-laundering kingpin who was involved in the early careers of rappers Jeezy and T.I. in the 2000s via his label BMF Entertainment, has been released from prison, Billboard has confirmed.

Flenory, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2008 after being convicted on several counts of criminal conspiracy and money laundering for his involvement in the Black Mafia Family crime ring, was released from a Florida prison on Oct. 15 but must serve the remainder of his sentence (which was reduced from 360 to 292 months over the course of his imprisonment) in a halfway house. His projected release date from the halfway house is Jan. 27, 2026, after which we will be subject to supervised release.

TMZ was first to report the news.

The Black Mafia Family was launched in Detroit in the mid-1980s and operated for roughly 20 years before being brought down by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2005, when Flenory, his brother Terry Flenory and more than 100 co-conspirators were arrested and charged with a plethora of crimes. In court documents, Flenory was described as “a leader of a vast, multi-state drug-trafficking operation with an extensive criminal history, including prior convictions for drug, weapons, and assault offenses.”

The gang’s rise and fall has more recently been chronicled in the ongoing, 50 Cent-produced Starz series BMF, on which Flenory’s son, Demetrius Flenory Jr., was cast as his father.

Among those commenting on the news of Flenory’s release was rapper Sexyy Red, who tweeted Wednesday (Oct. 16), “Where da welcome home party @ I’m trona perform for da freeski.” The same day, Boosie Badazz also celebrated by tweeting, “WELCOME BACK #BIGMEECH #LEGEND.” And on Thursday (Oct. 17), NBA superstar LeBron James tweeted, “Welcome home Big Meech!!”.

James Leach, vp of creative services and West Coast operations for SESAC, passed away on Thursday (Oct. 17) in Los Angeles. The well-respected music industry executive died following a battle with cancer.

Beginning his tenure at SESAC in 2001 as director of writer/publisher relations, Leach covered pop, R&B and rock. During his 23 years with the performing rights organization, Leach signed funk legend George Clinton, Lalah Hathaway and Ab-Soul as well as songwriter/producers such as Nate “Danja” Hills, Harvey Mason Jr. (The Underdogs) and John “Jaylien” Wesley. He also established the company’s Los Angeles office.

Paying tribute to Leach, SESAC commented in part on its website, “Emanating from his warmth, kindness and enthusiasm for life, James will continue to shine light on those he knew … James was not just a leader for the Los Angeles-based creative services team but a constant wellspring of support and inspiration for SESAC-affiliated songwriters and publishers. In addition to his deep love of music and unwavering dedication to nurturing talent was his advocation of culture and DEI. He continuously promoted awareness and understanding. His ethos of service and making things better was the keystone of his work.”

Hailing from Montclair, N.J., before relocating as a teen with his family to L.A., Leach graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in broadcast management. His lifelong love affair with music and the arts laid the foundation for a multi-faceted career that included stints in TV and radio sales, as a recording studio owner and as the head of his own music placement firm, Leach Entertainment. Internships at Famous Music and Michael Jackson’s ATV Music (prior to its merger with Sony) led to his being appointed director of creative affairs at ATV. During his seven years there, Leach signed writer/producers like Keith Crouch and Derek Allen and also worked with the catalogs of Jackson, The Beatles and Sly & the Family Stone.

Returning to Famous Music as director of creative affairs/urban music, Leach signed then-unknown songwriter/artist Akon. After leaving Famous, Leach worked as a music supervisor and consultant. His credits in that arena include the popular ‘90s series New York Undercover and Magic Johnson’s The Magic Hour.

A Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players honoree in 2019, Leach was presented with the Entertainment Advocate Award by the Living Legends Foundation in 2015. He also served on the foundation’s advisory board.

Calling Leach “the consummate professional,” Living Legends Foundation chairman David C.  Linton tells Billboard, “He brought such value to enhance our mission of ‘service, scholarship and preserving the legacy of Black music executives.’ His presence will be missed both professionally and personally. Our prayers go out to his family and all who know and love him.”

Leach is survived by his mother, Claudia Leach, in addition to his siblings and other family members. The family is asking that donations in his honor be made to The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.