Harry Styles has issued a heartbreaking statement to his late One Direction band mate Liam Payne.
Payne, 31, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday (16 October).
According to a post-mortem examination report, the singer died of multiple traumas and ‘internal and external haemorrhage’.
Taking to Instagram, Styles wrote: “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.
“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.
Harry Styles has issued a tribute to Liam Payne (Dave M. Benett/WireImage)
“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.”
On Wednesday, hotel staff in Argentina made two calls to emergency services after a police-released audio recording showed a staff member asking for assistance for a guest who was ‘intoxicated by drugs and alcohol‘.
Meanwhile, police said the music star’s hotel room had been ‘in complete disarray’ with ‘various items broken’.
Payne’s body was found in the internal hotel courtyard, while Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office are calling the incident an ‘inconclusive death’.
This comes after former band members Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry, put out a joint statement following Payne’s death.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” it read.
Payne passed away at the age of 31 on Wednesday (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“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.”
Zayn also wrote a separate tribute, which read: “When it came to 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 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.”
Featured Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia/Instagram/@harrystyles
Topics: Celebrity, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, UK News, World News, Music
Anish Vij
Former One Direction member Liam Payne dies aged 31
Payne was believed to have been posting on Snapchat just an hour before his reported death
State police in Argentina have said that former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died in Buenos Aires.
Local news outlet La Nacion reported that the 31-year-old was found dead after falling from the hotel’s third floor, citing emergency services in the region.
According to PA, Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel reported that Payne fell into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of the region’s capital.
(Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Further details have since been confirmed about the singer’s death, with City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti releasing a statement which revealed Payne had fallen around 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life’.
“The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur,” he said.
“At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
“Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
It is understood the star was in the city to attend a concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan.
Aged just 16 at the time, the singer rose to worldwide fame in 2008 alongside bandmates Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in the group put together by Simon Cowell on The X Factor.
The band came third in the ITV show, going on to have hits including ‘Kiss You’, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and ‘Story of my Life’.
The group are one of the highest-selling boy bands in history, having sold more than 70 million records globally during their six years together.
(Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
In 2017, Payne debuted his solo career with his hit track ‘Strip That Down’ featuring Migos’ Quavo, going on to release his album LP1 two years later.
Earlier this year the singer released more new music in the form of his new single ‘Teardrops’.
According to Sky News, one of Payne’s social media accounts was active just an hour before his reported death, posting a selfie on Snapchat telling his fans about his plans for the day.
“Today, we ride. We’re going to ride some horses,” he wrote. “Think I’m going to play polo again, which is going to put me out of action for about six weeks.
“It’s so hard to do, number one, my back and my neck from swinging that hammer around… or mallet, I think it’s called if you’re in the know. It hurts a lot, it’s very tough to do.”
Crescenti has said that authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death and would be conducting an autopsy.
LADbible Group has reached out to Payne’s reps for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images/Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
Topics: Liam Payne, Celebrity, World News
Chloe Rowland
X Factor pays tribute to Liam Payne as former One Direction member dies aged 31
Payne died in Buenos Aires, Argentina last night (16 October)
The X Factor and several leading figures from the music world have shared tributes to former One Direction singer Liam Payne in the hours following his devastating death.
In the early hours of this morning police in Argentina confirmed that Payne, 31, had passed away from injuries sustained after falling from a third-floor balcony at his hotel in the capital city.
A further update from Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, revealed that Payne had fallen around 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life’.
Liam Payne has died aged 31 (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur,” he said.
“At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
“Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
It is believed Payne had jetted out to the city in order to attend a concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan.
As the world learns the news about the former One Direction star’s death, with X Factor leading the tributes by writing: “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.
“He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world.
“Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.”
We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of Liam Payne’s passing. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the many fans who loved and supported him,” the official Spotify X account posted, while TV personality Rylan Clarke added: “Extremely sad news. V tragic and so young. RIP Liam x”
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The Wanted singer Max George also shared a heartfelt tribute to Payne, recalling how the star had been ‘unbelievably supportive’ during a particularly difficult period of his life.
“Devastated. Liam was an unbelievably supportive during one of the most difficult times in my life. I will never forget that,” he wrote.
Fans have also gathered to pay tribute outside the hotel in Buenos Aires (Tobias Skarlovnik/Getty Images)
“My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans at this horrendous time. Rest in peace Liam.”
Meanwhile, McFly tweeted: “We’re shocked and extremely sad to wake up to the news of Liam Payne’s death. Our thoughts and love are with his family and friends at such a difficult time.”
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Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has also shared his condolences in a series of tweets, writing: “Life is precious kids and you only get to do it ONCE go easy LG x”
He then responded directly to a series of fans who asked him about the singer’s death, writing that the news was ‘very sad’.
“devastating news, dear Liam Payne,” added radio broadcaster Zoe Ball. “thoughts & love to his family, friends and fans.”
Featured Image Credit: Luciano Gonzalez/Anadolu via Getty Images/Marc Piasecki/GC Images/Getty Images
