One Direction members pay tribute to Liam Payne following tragic death

17 October 2024, 21:32 | Updated: 17 October 2024, 21:40

By Alice Dear

One Direction's Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have broken their silence on the tragic death of their bandmate Liam Payne.

One Direction band-members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have paid an emotional tribute to their friend and bandmate Liam Payne after his tragic death.

Liam Payne died at the age of 31-years-old in Buenos Aires, Argentina after falling from the third floor of a hotel, with the shocking news sparking flood of tributes from fans and the celebrity world.

Now, Liam's bandmates have broken their silence on his death, taking to social media to share a joint statement.

"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."

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Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan first met in 2010 when they were formed into a boyband on the talent show The X Factor, having all auditioned as solo artists prior to the creation of One Direction.

While the boys did not win The X Factor, missing out on the crown to Matt Cardle, they landed a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco Records and went on to release their first song What Make Your Beautiful in September 2011.

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From 2011 to 2016, when the band went on a hiatus, they released a total of five albums; Up All Night, Take Me Home, Midnight Memories, Four and Made in the A.M and gained international success with hits such as Best Song Ever, Story Of My Life, Night Changes, Little Things, Steal My Girl and Perfect.

In March 2015, Zayn Malik announced he would be leaving the band, explaining in a statement: "I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart."

Liam, Harry, Niall and Louis continued to release music and tour as a foursome until January 2016 when they announced they would be going on a hiatus while the bandmates focused on other projects.

In 2017, Liam arrived onto the music industry as a solo artist, releasing his first hit Strip That Down featuring rapper Quavo. This was followed by the release of Get Low in the same year, alongside Bedroom Floor, For You, Familiar, First Time, and Polaroid. Some of these hits appeared on his solo album, LP1, released in 2019.

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