Niall Horan says Liam Payne's death 'doesn't feel real'

Annabel Rackham
Culture reporter

Liam Payne's former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan has said he is "absolutely devastated" by the "passing of his amazing friend".

Payne died on Wednesday evening in Buenos Aires and had flown in to Argentina to see Horan perform on tour.

"I'm absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn't feel real," Horan wrote.

"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," Horan also said.

The statement, posted on Instagram, continued: "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 litetime.

"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."

Horan was the final member of One Direction to post an individual statement on the passing of 31-year-old Payne.

The band, which got together in 2010 on The X Factor, posted a joint statement on Thursday evening, in which they said they needed time "to grieve and process the loss of our brother".

Horan, 31, also sent his "love and condolences" to Payne's family.

"Thank you for everything, Payno," he signed off.

Harry Styles said in his individual statement that his "heart breaks" for Payne's family and added: "His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it".

Louis Tomlinson echoed Styles' sentiments, describing Liam as "the most vital part of One Direction" who had a "gift for writing".

Zayn Malik spoke to Payne directly in his statement, praising him for his "positive outlook and reassuring smile".

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