Former One Direction stars paid tribute to fellow member Liam Payne, who died Oct. 16 after falling from his third-story hotel room in Argentina, according to state police. He was 31.
Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles shared a joint statement on the official One Direction Instagram account on Thursday.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they said. “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,” they continued. “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,” they said at the end of their statement before co-signing it from all four of them.
Separately, Tomlinson shared a moving post about Payne on Instagram with a photo and said he “lost a brother.” He concluded with a message to Payne directly and told him that he is “beyond lucky to have had you in my life” and that he’s “struggling with the idea of saying goodbye.”
In his own post, Malik also shared a message to Payne with a photo of the both of them, telling him what he meant to him. He ended his message by saying, “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what l’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.”
An Instagram post from Styles followed, with a message remembering Payne’s character and the time they spent together in the band.
“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” the “As It Was” singer began. “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 continued. “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,” Styles said.
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