Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik have broken their silence on the sudden death of their former One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne.
The 31-year-old suffered multiple traumatic injuries resulting in external and external bleeding after he fatally fell Wednesday from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room, according to a preliminary autopsy conducted early Thursday.
“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,” Styles, 30, said in a statement on Instagram.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” continued Styles, adding his “heart breaks” for Payne’s surviving family, including Payne’s 7-year-old son, Bear “and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”
“I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real,” said Horan, 31. “All the laughs we had over the years … keep coming to mind through the sadness. … I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”
Horan added that he feels “so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”
Payne reportedly attended Horan’s Buenos Aires concert on Oct. 2, according to footage that’s circulated online.
The “This Town” singer also offered his “love and condolences” to Payne’s family and thanked the late pop star “for everything. … Love you brother.”
“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me,” said Malik, 31. “I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.”
The “Love Like This” singer credited Payne with “supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life” and being “the most qualified” in the band.
“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,” said Malik. “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.”
The fifth member of the band, Louis Tomlinson, shared his tribute earlier Thursday.
Local authorities say Payne “jumped” from the balcony of his third-story hotel room. Just moments prior, a call to emergency services requested help for a guest who was “high on drugs” and “trashing the room” and possibly at-risk, given the balcony.
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