One Direction fans have been shocked and in disbelief ever since news broke on Wednesday that Liam Payne had died at the age of 31. After initial news that the former member of the boyband and singer/songwriter fell from the third-floor balcony of a hotel, more details are emerging in the aftermath of the incident, including a joint statement from One Direction and word of last messages he wrote to a longtime close friend.
One Direction Releases Joint Statement
One Direction's Instagram has been dormant since 2020, but Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson signed a statement on Thursday addressing the loss. In their words:
We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. 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.
The statement has quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of comments from fans sharing their support and grief over Liam Payne's death. One commenter wrote "I'm in a puddle of tears rn" while another wrote about how "heartbreaking" the death is. For years there were hopes of a One Direction reunion, and this is a sad way to see the members coming back together.
Along with the joint statement, Louis Tomlinson posted a deeply personal tribute to Payne, noting that he is "beyond devastated to be writing" about the loss of his friend and that he'd have loved to share the stage with his bandmate one more time.
Zayn Malik also posted to his own Instagram too, thanking him for his support over the years and reflecting on their friendship. He signed his tribute off saying "you know how loved you are."
At the time of this writing, Harry Styles and Niall Horan have not posted individually about Payne.
The five One Direction members were formed in 2010 on The X Factor after each of the boys auditioned for the show solo. After signing a record deal with Simon Cowell, they went on to become one of the biggest boy bands of all time, touring around the world together before going on hiatus in 2016 to work on their individual projects.
A throwback like "A Story Of My Life" has a tearful tinge to it now that one of the members is no longer with us:
Since the band went their separate ways, Liam Payne has been putting out solo music along with working as a music producer. The singer/songwriter was getting ready to release his second solo album following putting out its first single "Teardrop" in March 2024.
According to CNN, the public prosecutor's office in Argentina has stated that Payne was alone when the fall occurred and "experiencing some kind of episode due to substance abuse." Due to the position of his body, officials also believe he "may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness."
A Close Friend To Liam Payne Shares Final Conversation With Singer
Meanwhile, Liam Payne's longtime friend Jodie Richards shared with Sky News that she was in contact with the singer while he was in Argentina just before he died. In messages the pair exchanged on the day of his death, Payne said he was "chilling" in Argentina after he initially connected with her on Monday about what she was doing with her day. As Richards shared:
He seemed fine, he looked happy, he looked healthy - no reason for any kind of concern and then obviously I heard it on the news.
Jodie Richards knew Liam Payne through teaching him at her performing arts company Pink Productions in West Midlands, England, where the singer grew up.
During their final conversation, Payne sent Richards a picture of himself in a hotel room amidst their final short conversation. She shared that the two "speak near enough every day and have done for years" and she thinks he "just wanted to touch base".
Once Richards heard the news, she tried to call him Wednesday night, thinking that his death was a "fake" report. She wrote "please tell me this isn't true" along with other sentiments before later realizing Payne had died. She called the tragic death a "wicked waste of a life," sharing he had a future ahead of him and a good support system between his family, friends, girlfriend and fans. She also said this:
He's always got help if he needed it but as far as I'm concerned he was in a good place with everything going on in his personal life and his career as well, he had new things on the horizon on the telly and he seemed happy.
Our hearts go out to Liam Payne's family, friends, fans during this difficult time.