Surviving One Direction members issue message of love to the late Liam Payne

In addition to the joint statement, Tomlinson also published a much longer, and more effusive, statement about Payne on his own social media. Calling him “the kind brother I’d longed all my life for,” Tomlinson praised Payne’s musical abilities, adding, “Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction.” Reminiscing about long conversations the pair had after the band went on permanent hiatus in 2016, Tomlinson wrote “I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be,” before finishing with “Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well.”

Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina. Tributes and messages of condolence for him—including from the producers of British reality series The X Factor, where One Direction’s members were first brought together to perform—have continued to pour out since news of his death broke yesterday evening.

Update: Styles and Malik have now also posted their own individual statements. Styles wrote on his Instagram that, “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.” Malik remembered his former bandmate as someone who was “headstrong, opinionated, and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong,” adding that “I always secretly respected you for it.” He also highlighted Payne’s skills as a musician, writing, “When you came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense.”

[via THR]

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