One Direction members ‘devastated’ and will miss Liam Payne ‘terribly’

Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates have said they are “completely devastated” by the news of his death.

The singer, 31, who found fame on The X Factor with the boy band, died after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.

A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.

READ MORE: Two arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following Manchester shooting

“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.”

One Direction was formed in 2010, with Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor.

After becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with five albums and four world tours, they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid, Familiar and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

The song was one of two tracks that reached the top 10 in the UK official charts, alongside For You with Rita Ora from the film Fifty Shades Freed – which the duo performed at the Brit Awards in 2018.

Payne was in a high-profile relationship with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl between 2016 and 2018, and the couple had a son, Bear, in 2017.