Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates say they are “completely devastated” about the passing of their fellow band member.
In a statement signed by Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles they said: “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say”.
The pop star, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010, died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police say.
Earlier Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken” as they paid tribute to a “kind, funny and brave soul”, after his death aged 31
called to the hotel and that “everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall happened”.
They added they believed Payne died at the scene and there were no injuries that suggested a third party had been involved.
Following his death at around 17:00 (21:00 BST) on Wednesday, stars expressed their upset and posted memories of the dad who shared a son, Bear, with former partner Girls Aloud star Cheryl.
Former bandmate Harry’s mother Anne Twist paid tribute, posting a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, captioning it: “Just a boy.”
Singer Rita Ora, who collaborated on a song with Payne in 2018, said she was “devastated” in a post on Instagram, adding that she “loved working with him so much”.
On Thursday, police in Buenos Aires said a preliminary autopsy suggested the One Direction star died from external and internal bleeding injuries.
They said the area where Payne fell had been inspected and items including alcohol and a phone had been discovered. Medication was found in his room.
Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, also shared his condolences on Instagram, saying he was “lost for words” and described Payne’s death as “devastating”.
Murs said they “always had a good laugh” when they met, mostly talking about “how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF [X Factor] days and the tour we shared together.
“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams, so to see his life now end so young hits hard. I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad.”
Dermot O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor when Liam appeared, posted a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “The worst news.”
“I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing,” he wrote.
“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”
Leave a Reply