'Love you brother': Niall Horan pays moving tribute to One Direction bandmate Liam Payne
Liam Payne with Niall Horan in 2015. File picture: Collins
Niall Horan has paid tribute to his former One Direction band member Liam Payne saying he will “cherish every moment” they had.
Payne, who rose to fame with the boy band on The X Factor, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday. He was 31.
In a post on Instagram, Horan wrote: “I’m absolutely 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 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.
Payne is said to have been in Buenos Aires to attend the concert of Horan, having been seen dancing at his show two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Horan continued: “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 sent his “love and condolences” to Payne’s family and his son Bear, who he shared with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
He signed off the statement saying: “Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler.”
Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, an autopsy report said.
Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.
Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
A joint statement from his One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”, adding the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.
After Payne’s death, five witnesses were questioned in order to reconstruct what happened, the prosecutor’s office said.
Reports said staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.
Police in the capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken” – adding that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone had been retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
One Direction fans mourned his death at a vigil outside the Argentine hotel where they lit candles and laid flowers.
The band toured across the globe and had five chart-topping albums, as well as four number one singles in the UK chart with tracks including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.
One of his most famous songs, For You, was a collaboration between him and the singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.
Hours after his death, Ora sang their song while an image of the pair was projected on to the screen behind her during a performance in Osaka, Japan.
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