Liam Payne‘s sister, Nicola Payne, has shared an Instagram statement following the former One Direction singer’s sudden death in Argentina. In it, Nicola aims at those questioning Liam’s state of mind, issues in his relationships, and behaviors before he died.
Payne, 31, fell or possibly jumped from a third-floor window at a Buenos Aires hotel after staff called the police, telling them he was behaving aggressively while possibly under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The former One Direction singer was declared dead at the scene with multiple injuries, including head trauma and internal and external bleeding. Evidence found inside Payne’s hotel room and Payne’s initial autopsy report showed “pink cocaine” and other substances in his system.
After Payne died, One Direction fans and celebrities shared their grief on social media. A few days before Nicola shared her statement, Liam’s sister, Ruth, his only other sibling, wrote in part on Instagram, “Liam is my best friend, [no one] could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.”
When Nicola heard the news, she “went cold”
In her Instagram statement, Liam’s sister, Nicola, wrote, “When I saw the news pop up on my phone that you had left us I went cold, I wanted so much for this to be untrue.” Nicola spent days hoping there was a mistake, she said, and that her brother wasn’t dead. “You were truly too good for this Earth,” Nicola added, “You lived for making people smile and happy,” she wrote. It’s alarming that a member of Liam’s family found out he died the same way the public did: in the news.
Nicola then shared memories of her brother before adding, “Unfortunately, this world is [too] quick to judge someone from a few 5 second clips, they then think it entitles them to speak like they know you. We knew you and we loved you.”
Payne died after a series of shocking revelations
Nicola’s comments about being too quick to judge the pop singer might refer to the fact that Payne’s ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, filed a lawsuit against Payne just days before he died, alleging he stalked and harassed her, as well as her friends and family. Henry also opened up about how Payne treated her during his appearance on The Internet is Dead podcast not long before Payne’s death. Payne had also been dropped from his label a short time earlier. Nicola ends her post, “I hope you have finally found peace up there and you will continue to look after us all as you have done in life. We live make sure Bear knows about his daddy and how much you loved him, we promise this.”
Bear is Payne’s 7-year-old son with his former partner, GirlsAloud singer Cheryl. After Payne died, Cheryl shared a statement also referring to the “abhorrent reports and media exploitation” after he died. “Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last,” Cheryl added.