Niall Horan has paid a touching tribute to his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne saying he did not realise when he last saw him he would be saying âgoodbye foreverâ.
Payne died aged 31 after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, having previously flown in to Argentina to watch Horan perform on tour.
Horan said he will âcherish every momentâ he had with his bandmate âforeverâ after they rose to global stardom together with their fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik following the boy band placing third on The X Factor in 2010.
âIâm absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesnât feel realâ, Horan wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the singer giving Payne a piggyback ride in their younger days.
âLiam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.
âAll the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness.
âWe got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever.
âThe bond and friendship we had doesnât happen often in a lifetime.â
Payne was spotted dancing at Horanâs show around two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Horan continued: âI feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didnât know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. Itâs heartbreaking.â
The singer also sent his âlove and condolencesâ to Payneâs family and his son Bear, who he shared with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
He signed off the statement saying: âThank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler.â
Payneâs other bandmembers also paid emotional tributes to him while a joint statement from the band said they were âcompletely devastatedâ and will miss the singer âterriblyâ, adding the âmemories we shared with him will be treasured foreverâ.
The singerâs family said they were âheartbrokenâ following his death, adding: âLiam will forever live in our hearts and weâll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.â
The singer died of multiple traumas and âinternal and external haemorrhageâ, a post-mortem examination report said.
Argentinaâs National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutorâs Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an âinconclusive deathâ following the report.
In a separate statement, Styles said Payneâs âgreatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did itâ.
âLiam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious,â he said.
âHe was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.
âThe years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.â
Styles said his âheart breaksâ for Payneâs family and his seven-year-old son Bear.
Fellow One Direction star Tomlinson vowed to be an uncle to Payneâs son in a separate Instagram statement.
âI want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,â the 32-year-old said.
Tomlinson said Payne was âthe most vital part of One Directionâ, describing his âperfect pitch, his stage presence, (and) his gift for writingâ.
âIâm so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought Iâd have with you for life,â he added.
âI would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasnât to be.â
Tomlinson said he and Payne had planned to get âback in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the bandâ, adding that he wished he had the âchance to say goodbyeâ to âone of my best friendsâ.
Both Tomlinson and former One Direction star Malik said they had âlost a brotherâ.
Malik, who left the band in 2015 citing the need to have âsome private time out of the spotlightâ before embarking on a solo career, thanked Payne for âsupporting me through some of the most difficult times in my lifeâ in a separate post on Instagram.
âWhen I was missing home as a 17 (year) 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,â he said.
Family friend and former hairdresser to Payne, Nick Malenko, told the Express & Star he had messaged his mother Karen and said: âSheâs finding it hard to speak about whatâs happened, but she said âIâve lost my beautiful boyâ.â
The band toured across the globe and had five hit albums, as well as four number one singles in the UK chart with popular tracks including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
After Payneâs death, five witnesses were questioned in order to reconstruct what happened, the prosecutorâs office said.
Reports said staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was âintoxicated by drugs and alcoholâ.
Police in the capital said the music starâs hotel room had been âin complete disarrayâ with âvarious items brokenâ â adding that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone had been retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payneâs body was found.
One Direction fans and famous faces across the world have paid tribute while others mourned his death at a vigil outside the Argentine hotel where they lit candles and laid flowers.
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