In the wake of the sudden death of English singer Liam Payne, his former One Direction bandmates have shared heartbroken tributes to their fallen “brother.” Louis Tomlinson called Payne the “most vital part” of the British boy band, while Harry Styles and Zayn Malik also checked in today to share their thoughts.
While Styles called it an “honor” (using the American spelling, rather than the English, here), Malik noted that Payne was the “most qualified” member of the band musically, writing that Liam was “more sensible” than him despite being younger. It’s clear from both posts that while the group had its frictions, the members really loved each other, and Payne’s death had truly impacted them all. While Niall Horan has yet to make a public statement, he was photographed in Argentina, where Payne died from a balcony fall, with dark shades covering his eyes as he walked his dog with his girlfriend, Amelia Woolley. Payne and Horan had recently reunited when Liam attended one of Niall’s concerts in Buenos Aires.
Meanwhile, the group’s band page on Instagram also released a joint statement in which they promised they’d return with more to say after the members have grieved.
You can see Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and One Direction’s group tributes to Liam Payne below
From Harry:
I was devastated by Liam’s passing.
His greatest joy was making oilier people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for 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.
My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.
From Zayn:
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 fucks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, A”, 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), 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 will cherish 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
From One Direction:
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.
Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry
9476