Louis Tomlinson called the late Liam Payne “the most vital part of One Direction” in a heartfelt tribute to his bandmate, who died yesterday afternoon at the age of 31. Tomlinson was the first member of the British boy band to post a reaction to Payne’s death, and you can read his full statement below.
Payne died on Wednesday afternoon (October 16) after falling from the third story of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, landing on a wooden deck below. Witnesses say that Payne was behaving “erratically” in the lobby moments before, although videos he shared on social media a few hours before suggested that he was having a “lovely day,” although he reportedly filmed the videos days before posting them. Payne had released a new single, “Teardrops,” this spring.
Read Louis Tomlinson’s tribute to Liam Payne below.
I am beyond devastated to be writing this, but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.
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I first met Liam when he was 16, and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.
Liam was an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.
And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.
A message to you Liam if you’re listening,
I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life, but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again, but it wasn’t to be.
