Ed Sheeran issues two-word plea following death of Liam Payne

Ed Sheeran has urged people to “be kind” as he paid a heartfelt tribute to tragic Liam Payne.

Musicians and celebrities have been remembering the One Direction singer after police in Argentina said he died falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires aged 31. Payne found fame aged 16 as part of the boyband alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles,

The group became a global sensation after finishing third on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010.

READ NEXT: RAF jets swarm plane to UK after 'bomb threat made on social media'

Sheeran, 33, paid tribute to Payne in a touching Instagram post. Alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne smiling, Sheeran wrote: "At a loss for words. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heart-breaking situation."

Sheeran concluded his tribute by writing: "Be kind. X"

Former Take That star Robbie Williams also called for greater kindness and empathy following the death of Payne, who he described as “a handsome talented boy”.

The 50 year old singer recalled performing and hanging out with One Direction during the 2010 X Factor final. He said: “They were all cheeky and lovely.”

He continued: “Our paths have crossed ever since that day and I’m fond of them all. Liam’s trials and tribulations were very similar to mine, so it made sense to reach out and offer what I could. So I did.”

Williams went on to call for people to not rush to judgements and to think before they write on the internet, saying: “Even famous strangers need your compassion”.

He added: “What a handsome talented boy. What a tragic painful loss for his friends, family, fans and by the looks of the energy this moment has created – The world.”

Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who rose to fame after winning The X Factor with the girl group, said Payne had been “so lovely and humble” every time their paths crossed.

“I’ll never forget seeing One Direction on tour for the first time and being instantly drawn to Liam’s stage presence, you could just tell he was made for that stage”, she added. “Gone way too soon, sending all my love and deepest condolences to his family and everyone close to him.”

Meanwhile, JLS star Oritse Williams discussed the challenges the music industry can bring after being propelled to fame following The X Factor.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I feel with the music industry there isn’t enough duty of care. It’s a tough, tough game. You have to have very thick skin, and when you haven’t lived life and been through different trials and tribulations, to go through trials and tribulations whilst being under the spotlight is a very difficult thing and who’s there to support...

“I’ve been through my own trials and tribulations, which has been well documented, and there was nowhere for me to look at, I just had my family and friends and my loved ones to hold me up.

“And I feel like with Liam, it’s the same. He did have, obviously, a beautiful family, but you’re out there alone in this crazy, crazy world where there’s a lot of vultures, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s very, very tough to navigate sometimes.”

He added that during his time on The X Factor he was able to “learn a lot” but he felt you are left “on your own” afterwards and that “nothing prepares you for the pandemonium that ensues”, particularly for someone who experienced superstardom on Payne’s level.

Reflecting on first meeting Payne in 2008, when he auditioned for The X Factor the first time round aged 14, Williams said he was a “ball of energy” with an “electric personality” and a “great voice”.

The JLS star said they went on to have “some really emotional, deep conversations” over the years and he thought of him as a “beautiful soul”.

“He really showed me that he’s not about this famous celebrity life, actually the reason why he was doing what he was doing, and I related to him, was because we both had a passion and a love for singing and music, and what a great singer he was,” he added.

Boyband JLS previously said Payne felt like their “original fifth member” when he auditioned alongside them in 2008 and they “always knew he’d go on to achieve great things”.

“To have lost a brother of ours so young is devastating and we will fondly remember the joy and the hope and the happiness he brought to so many people’s lives”, the group added in a social media post.

Meanwhile, Craig Revel Horwood remembered Payne as a “lovely person”. The Strictly Come Dancing judge, who met the singer when they appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show together, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Thirty-one is just no age and I just hate that.

“He was a lovely, lovely, lovely person backstage, when Shirley (Ballas), Motsi (Mabuse) and myself were on Jonathan Ross with him.

“He was just adorable and he had what I considered a very bright future. And someone that young leaving the world so soon or early, before their life has come to fruition.

“I mean, I was 30 when I stopped dancing and then I changed my career entirely. And I just think of myself at that age and the life he could have had ahead of him is, it is frightening, isn’t it?

“And it’s super, super, super sad. So my heart pours out to his family.”