Niall Horan has penned a heartfelt statement in the wake of Liam Payne’s death.
Payne was one fifth of One Direction alongside Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik (who left in the band in 2015).
Formed on The X Factor, One Direction went on to become one of the most popular and successful boybands in the world.
In recent years they’ve all been pursuing solo projects, and Payne recently jetted to Argentina where he watched his former bandmate Horan’s live show.
The ‘Strip That Down’ singer shared photos of him and Horan together in the days leading up to his death.
On Wednesday (October 16), Payne died after reportedly falling from his hotel room’s balcony.
An autopsy report has since revealed that the 31-year-old died from multiple traumas.
Following his heartbreaking and untimely death, his bandmates have taken to social media to pay tribute to him.
Malik described Payne as a ‘brother’ to him, while Tomlinson vowed to be a devout uncle to Payne’s seven-year-old son, Bear.
Meanwhile, Styles said it was ‘an honour to be alongside him’ in One Direction and that the years they spent together ‘will forever remain among the most cherished years of [his] life’.
One Direction pictured at the 2014 BRIT Awards (JM Enternational/Getty Images)
Now, Horan has paid homage to his late bandmate in a heartbreaking post.
He said in his Instagram statement: “I’m absolsutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real.
“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.
“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming back 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 lifetime.
“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saing goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”
Horan concluded the tear-jerking post sending condolences to Payne’s family and Bear.
While One Direction’s mentor Simon Cowell is yet to address Payne’s tragic death, former The X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has. She was a judge on the UK version of the show between 2004 and 2007, 2013, and then 2016 – 2017.
In her tribute she said that the industry ‘let [Payne] down’.
Osbourne wrote on Instagram: “Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them? You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner? Rest in peace my friend @liampayne.”
Liam Payne was in Argentina to attend his former bandmate’s concert (Snapchat/liampayne)
Fellow British The X Factor star Josh Cuthbert, who was in a band called Union J that was partly created on the show, replied to Osbourne’s post applauding her for her sentiments.
He said: “FINALLY…. Some honesty and truth, Thankyou Sharon! This music industry lets people down ALLLL the time. It’s full of people who are only interested in making £££ out of people and in particularly young vulnerable people.
“It’s about time things change in my opinion,” he added.
Boyzone’s Mikey Graham has said similar and encouraged record companies to provide psychologists for their talent.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
