Harry Styles has joined his former bandmates Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in paying tribute to their late ‘brother’ Liam Payne. The singer, 31, tragically died on Wednesday evening after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Liam rose to fame at the age of 16 years old when he auditioned for The X Factor and was subsequently put into a band, One Direction, by the judges alongside Harry, Louis, Zayn and Mullingar native Niall Horan.
The band became one of the biggest of their time, releasing five albums and going on four world tours before they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016. Liam had been holidaying in Buenos Aires having attended a gig from former bandmate Niall in recent weeks. He had been with girlfriend Kate Cassidy, who returned to America just days before Liam’s death.
His former bandmates issued a joint statement on Thursday evening, almost 24 hours after the news broke, stating they were ‘completely devastating.’ They said: ‘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. – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’ Bandmate Louis said he was ‘beyond devastated’ in a separate statement on social media w.
