Niall Horan 'devastated' over Liam Payne's death and didn't know Argentina goodbye would be 'forever'

Niall Horan has said his is 'devastated' over the death of his former One Direction bandmate and 'amazing friend' Liam Payne after he recently came to watch him at one of his shows.

Payne, who rose to fame with the boy band on The X Factor, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday (October 16).

A post-mortem examination report has since found that Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, as a result of the fall.

READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Nick Knowles seen in hospital days after show exit

Payne's One Direction bandmates have said they are "completely devastated" and will miss the singer “terribly”. A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall on Thursday (October 17) 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."

They have since been paying individual tributes with Niall sharing a throwback photo of him giving Liam a piggyback alongside a caption of a black heart emoji.

He then typed in a written statement that he will “cherish every moment” they had. In a post on Instagram, Horan wrote: “I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real.

"Liam 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.

"All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.

"I feel 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."

He added: "My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother."