LIAM Payne’s One Direction bandmates have broken their silence to share their heartbreak following the star’s tragic death.
Singer and dad-of-one Liam, 31, died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Liam shot to fame alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik as part of One Direction after auditioning for X Factor in 2010 aged just 14.
They became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going their separate ways in 2016.
In a statement shared on Thursday evening the band 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. – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”
On X Factor, the band placed third, losing out to Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson, but ultimately became an international phenomenon.
Their hits included What Makes You Beautiful, Night Changes, Best Song Ever and Perfect.
Selling over 70 million records worldwide, One Direction accumulated such a fanbase it was compared to Beatlemania.
During their career they earned seven Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, six Billboard awards and became one of the best-selling boybands of all time.
The band went on hiatus in 2016, a year after Zayn Malik left the group, in order to pursue their own solo careers.
Liam’s released solo album LP1 in 2019, and included tracks Strip That Down with Quavo, Get Low with Zedd and For You with Rita Ora.
He had been in the South American city with girlfriend Kate Cassidy to see his former 1D band member Niall Horan on tour.
After two weeks in the city, Kate decided to return home to the States while Liam stayed on.
Having spent time at a friend’s house, the singer-songwriter took up a room at the Hotel Casa Sur in the neighbourhood of Palermo, which is where he died.
In Snapchat posts shared shortly before his death, but seemingly filmed days earlier, he spoke about about riding horses, playing polo, and looking forward to returning home to see his dog.
“It’s a lovely day here in Argentina,” he declared in one.
But at some point, things took a tragic turn and the hotel’s reception manager frantically called cops telling them that Liam was under the influence of drink and drugs and had trashed his room.
They begged police to come quickly amid fears Liam’s life was at risk due to his third floor room having a balcony.
Reports described Liam’s behaviour as ‘erratic’ in the hours before his death and it is claimed he needed to be carried to his room.
Pictures from Liam’s room show a messy table littered with white powdered and burnt aluminum foil.
The singer was pronounced dead at the scene and suffered a fractured skull as well as internal and external bleeding.
A toxicology report has yet to be made public.
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.
Devastating videos showed Liam Payne comparing tattoos and talking with fans outside his hotel just days before his death.
Liam took time to make his fans’ dreams come true earlier in the week, posing for pictures, signing autographs and listening to their stories.
One fan credited Liam with “saving my life” and grew emotional meeting his hero.
It prompted Liam to give the man a hug, before they compared the matching arrow tattoos on their arms.
In another clip, Liam, who was wearing a checked shirt and graffitied jeans, sang in Spanish to a female fan after she asked if he’d been listening to any local music.
There was also a montage of the smiling pop star meeting and greeting supporters, some of who mirrored his smile while others broke down in tears.
