Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, formerly of pop group One Direction, said in a statement released Thursday that they are completely devastated by the death of their former bandmate Liam Payne, who they called their brother.
The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us, Styles, Horan, Malik and Tomlinson said in a joint statement posted Thursday to the band’s Instagram page. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.
Their statement added: 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.
Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
The police investigation into the circumstances of his death is ongoing, according to police in Buenos Aires.
I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it, Styles wrote in a separate statement posted to his Instagram page Thursday. Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.
Styles wrote that the years he spent with Payne, who he described as warm supportive, and incredibly loving, will always remain among the most cherished years of my life.
Tomlinson also separately paid tribute to Payne, writing on his Instagram page earlier on Thursday that he is beyond devastated about the loss of Payne, who he called a brother.
Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul, Tomlinson wrote. And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.
Tomlinson ended his tribute with moving mention of Payne’s son in a portion of his statement in which he directly addressed his former bandmate.
I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me, I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was, he wrote.
Malik also posted a tribute to his Instagram page Thursday, writing that he wished he could give Payne a hug one last time.
When I was missing home as a 17 yr 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, he wrote, directly addressing Payne.
Malik also said that even though Payne was younger, you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f***s 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, he added.
Payne and Malik had a complicated past, stemming from their time together as bandmates, which Payne touched on in the 2022 podcast Impaulsive with Logan Paul. He later apologized for his comments in a 2023 video posted to his YouTube page, saying that what he said came from the wrong place.
Post a Comment