Max George praises Liam Payne for supporting him 'a lot personally' after tragic death

Max George has paid tribute to Liam Payne and praised the late star for supporting him "a lot personally" following the death of his bandmate Tom Parker.

The Wanted singer has been left "absolutely devastated" after One Direction star Liam passed away on Wednesday (October 16). aged 31, after he reportedly fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

He wrote on Instagram: "Absolutely devastating news. I met Liam way back when 1D were on X Factor. Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him.

READ MORE: Police investigating Liam Payne's death release more details after One Direction star dies in Argentina hotel

"Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that."

The singer added: "My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans all around the world at this tragic time. Rest in Peace Liam. Much love brother (sic)".

Following Liam's tragic passing, Olly Murs - who found fame on 'The X Factor', like the One Direction star - has also paid tribute to his pal, admitting they "shared the same passions".

Olly wrote on Instagram: "This news is devastating, am lost for words. we always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF days and the tour we shared together.

"Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I'm truly gutted and devastated for his Family and of course his son Bear losing a dad x am thinking of them! RIP Liam (sic)"

Dermot O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “The worst news”.

“I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing,” he wrote. He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”

Liam rose to stardom aged 16 after forming boy band One Direction on The X Factor in 2010 alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, having returned to the ITV show two years after his first audition. Liam and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl also share a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.