Overview

• Scherzinger told The Times their last exchange was casual and that she knew he was in Argentina.
• She learned of Payne’s death shortly before a Sunset Blvd show and still went onstage that night.
• She incorporated a brief tribute to Payne into each performance thereafter during the production’s run.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber previously noted she had been texting Payne that day and commended her for performing after receiving the news.
• Scherzinger called for greater compassion in public discourse, criticizing cancel culture and the outsized role of phones and social media.