Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates have said they are “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”.
Payne, 31, who found fame on The X Factor with the boyband, died after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured for ever.
“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.
“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
Members of the band began to post separate statements late on Thursday. Styles, 30, wrote that he was “truly devastated” about Payne’s death.
“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” Styles wrote. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”
Tomlinson, 32, remembered Payne as “the most vital part of One Direction” and added that he would be telling his young son Bear “stories of how amazing his dad was”.
“I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother,” he said.
“Liam was somebody I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”
The music star said he was “instantly amazed” by Payne’s voice when they met and added that he had “got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for”.
“Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band,” he said.
Malik, 31, wrote that he’d found himself talking out loud to his late friend, “hoping you can hear me”.
“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life,” he wrote. “When I was missing home as a 17 year old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.”
A postmortem examination report found that Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, as a result of the fall.
Reports say staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services, with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.
Police in the Argentine capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken”.
The singer’s family told PA, in a statement issued via a spokesperson, that they were “heartbroken” and added: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
Famous faces from across the music industry have paid tribute to the singer, who embarked on a solo career after One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall said on her Instagram story that Payne was the “first friend I made in this industry”, while JLS member Marvin Humes said on his Kiss FM show that he had “instantly clicked” with Payne when they first met in 2008, adding that the band had taken him under their wing on The X Factor.
On Wednesday night, One Direction fans mourned his death at a vigil in Argentina where they lit candles and laid flowers.
In their heyday the band toured across the globe and had four chart-topping albums, as well as four No 1 singles in the UK chart, including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.
The band, without Malik, appeared on The Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke segment, with James Corden, which raked in more than 200m views on YouTube.
Gavin And Stacey co-creator Corden said in a social media post that Payne “was such a loving and kind soul”, and added: “I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him.”
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
One of his most popular songs, For You, was a collaboration with the singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.
Hours after his death, Ora sang their song while an image of the pair was projected on to the screen behind her during a performance in Osaka, Japan.
Source: theguardian.com
