After releasing a joint statement mourning the loss of their bandmate Liam Payne, the surviving members of One Direction are now penning individual heartfelt notes remembering their time with the late singer.
Liam Payne, only 31 at the time of his death on Oct. 16, 2024, has left the whole world with a hole in their hearts following the news of his sudden passing. The singer fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a suspected “outbreak due to substance abuse” before the incident. The cause of his death is said to be “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage,” according to preliminary postmortem reports verified by the Buenos Aires Public Prosecutor’s Office.
While all the 2010s teens and Gen Z kids who grew up listening to One Direction feel heartbroken over losing their childhood idol, the ones most affected by the tragedy are his family and his former bandmates, who spent years by his side. Beyond his musical legacy and iconic performances, those closest to him remember Payne as a beloved son, father, brother, friend, and moreover, a human being who always carried a light in his eyes and a smile on his face.
Loius Tomilson, Zayn Malik, and Harry Styles paid heartfelt tributes to their bandmate on social media in the past few days, and now Niall Horan, who was particularly close to Payne has taken to his Instagram to pen how he feels “absolutely devastated” about the passing of his “amazing friend.” Remembering Payne, he wrote,
“Liam has 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.”
The singer continued by remembering all the laughs and all their time spent together over the years and how they “got to live out [their] wildest dreams together.” He called their bond and friendship something that “doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.” The singer also mentioned how he had recently met up with Payne but never anticipated that it would be their last time.
“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.”
The singer also pressed how “it just doesn’t feel real” that Payne is not around anymore. The comment feels especially important given the circumstances surrounding his death. The Buenos Aires Public Prosecutor’s Office also added in their statement that the incident is being treated as a “doubtful death” (via News 18), fueling the ongoing narrative that there’s more to his death than what’s known.
However, there is no definitive proof of any such claims, and the incident has been regarded as an accidental death thus far. Horan ended his note with condolences to Payne’s parents Geoff and Karen, his older sisters Ruth and Nicola, and his 7-year-old son Bear, and signed the note with a “Love you brother.”
