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Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates have paid tribute to the singer following his death in a hotel fall, aged 31.
In a statement signed “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry”, Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates 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 forever.
“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.”
In a lengthier tribute shared on his personal account, Louis Tomlinson added: “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.
“I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I 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.
“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.
“A message to you Liam if you’re listening,
“I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.
“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.
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“I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.
“Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X”
Zayn Malik also paid tribute to Payne on his personal Instagram account, sharing a sweet photo of himself asleep in Payne’s lap on a tour bus, while Payne is also asleep slumped over on top of him.
In a statement on the next slide, Malik wrote: “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.
“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. 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.
“Even though you were younger than me 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.
“When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison. I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.
“I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I willcherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro”
Earlier, Styles’s mother Anne Twist shared a broken-hearted emoji to her Instagram along with the caption: “Just a boy…”
Greg Horan, the brother of Payne’s bandmate Niall, shared a heartfelt statement that said: “You will be forever missed Liam. Words can’t describe how much I want to grab my brother and mind him now while the world shows their memories of you and him and the boys.”
The Wolverhampton-born star rose to fame as a member of the boyband after they formed on reality TV contest The X Factor. He first auditioned in 2008, but was told to come back in two years’ time by judge and show creator Simon Cowell.
He met his future bandmates on the seventh series in 2010; One Direction ultimately placed third but shot to fame upon the release of their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful”.
They went on to sell more than 70 million records worldwide and today are considered one of the biggest boybands in music history. They released five albums, including their 2011 debut Up All Night, and won a number of awards including seven Brits and four MTV Video Music awards.
“At the start we couldn’t get past our own egos,” he told The Guardian in a 2019 interview. “Everybody had their own little thing – it was like having four older brothers.” He claimed to be “a bit more mature” than his bandmates, which he said was due to his focus and ambition for a career in show business.
Payne referred to the time he spent in One Direction as “like uni”, but would later open up about his experiences of burnout and claustrophobia: “Cabin fever,” he told The Telegraph. “It sent me a bit AWOL at one point, if I’m honest. I can remember when there were 10,000 people outside our hotel. We couldn’t go anywhere. It was just gig to hotel, gig to hotel. And you couldn’t sleep, because they’d still be outside.”
Malik announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band; One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus just months later. “It was a little bit dark and twisted towards the end of it,” Payne told The Guardian of the band’s split. “But the last few shows were really beautiful moments because the pressure cooker had been let off.
“It was almost like counting down to holiday… we were going to wake up that Monday morning with no schedule.” Payne was in therapy for two years after 1D split: “It was difficult at the start, because I didn’t really know anything about myself. It was a bit of a numb feeling.”
All five former members pursued solo careers: Payne released “Strip That Down” – co-written by Ed Sheeran – as the lead single from what would be his first and only solo album, the R&B-influenced LP1, which was released in 2019.
His latest single, “Teardrops”, was released earlier this year.
