Liam Payne‘s One Direction bandmates have broken their silence following his tragic death.
In a joint statement released last night, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles said they were ‘completely devastated.’
‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.
‘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.’
In a statement signed ‘Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry’, Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates said they were ‘completely devastated’
Payne’s 1D bandmates said ‘in time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say’
Argentina’s prosecutor’s office revealed yesterday that Payne may have been ‘semi-conscious or completely unconscious’ when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The star plunged 45ft from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina’s capital on Wednesday, before medics confirmed his death.
Prior to Payne’s death, hotel staff frantically called 911 regarding ‘an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’ who was ‘smashing up his room’.
Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik all later released separate tributes.
Styles wrote on Instagram that he was ‘truly devastated’ and will ‘miss him always’.
‘His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
‘Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.
‘He was warm, supportive and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.
‘My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew him and loved him, as I did.’
Tomlinson said in a separate emotional tribute that he was ‘really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye’.
He posted a picture on his Instagram page of the two of them on stage with Payne lovingly putting his arm over Tomlinson’s shoulder.
Tomlinson said he would be an uncle to Payne’s son Bear if he ‘ever needs me’ and ‘tell him stories of how amazing his dad was’.
‘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,’ he wrote.
‘I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.
‘I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.
‘Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X’
Louis Tomlinson said he was ‘really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye’ in a separate tribute to Payne
Zayn Malik said he had been talking out loud to Payne ‘hoping you can hear me’
Styles said Payne’s ‘greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it’
Harry Styles wrote on Instagram that he was ‘truly devastated’ and will ‘miss him always’
Payne pictured with his 1D bandmates at the Music Awards in Los Angeles in 2014
The hotel balcony where Liam Payne fell to his death from in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is circled
Liam Payne 9Pictured in Argentina) may have been ‘semi-conscious or completely unconscious’ when he fatally fell from a third floor hotel balcony, Argentina’s prosecutor office has said
A purported final photograph of Liam Payne at the the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires seems to show the former One Direction singer wearing a white sleeveless top with his tattoos visible
The first pictures of Liam Payne’s trashed Buenos Aries hotel room have been published by Argentinian press showing a smashed TV screen
The photos of the deluxe suite show pieces of aluminium foil scattered on the desktop and traces of white powder
Malik said he had been talking out loud to Payne ‘hoping you can hear me’.
In his own heart wrenching tribute, he said he had ‘lost a brother when you left us’.
‘And I can’t explain you you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly,’ he wrote.
‘I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever. There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherevere you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are.
‘Love you bro.’
Horan looked devastated today as he was pictured for the first time since Payne’s death.
The This Town hitmaker, 31, who Payne had seen in concert in Argentina just days before he died, was joined by his girlfriend Amelia Woolley on a walk in London.
Prior to Payne’s death, hotel staff franticly called 911 regarding ‘an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’ who was ‘smashing up his room’.
Detectives confirmed that a series of substances were seized from the hotel room ‘indicating previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption’.
Hotel guests claimed to hear ‘violent noises’, and assumed there was construction work was ongoing in the room, according to the BBC.
Photos have also emerged from inside his luxury suite, appearing to show a trashed television, surfaces covered with tin foil and white powder as well as scorch marks on the wooden surface.
A preliminary report into the popstar’s death said ‘everything indicates’ Payne was alone when he died.
Prosecutors have taken five statements from witnesses including from two women who were with Payne the night before he died.
Police had been searching for the duo having identified them as ‘key witnesses’ before the One Direction star’s hotel balcony fall.
The pair had been in Payne’s hotel room but left prior to his death.
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina
Liam Payne had been staying in Argentina over the last few weeks and was pictured engaging with fans
Last night, thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam Payne died
Some were pictured lighting candles and praying for the singer
Others held each sobbing as they paused to remember Mr Payne who was one fifth of the most succesful boy band of the 2010s
The singer died instantly after suffering multiple injuries that led to ‘internal and external haemorrhaging’.
Both women are said to have left the hotel after waiting for the star in the lobby, Argentine outlet Infobae reports.
There is no indication that the women could be involved in his death, but police hope they can help piece together Payne’s final moments before he plunged to his death at around 5pm local time.
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had returned to Florida four days prior to his death, telling her followers ‘I just needed to go home’ after their planned ‘five-day trip’ was extended to two weeks.
Argentina’s prosecutor’s office say ‘everything indicates’ the singer was alone when he died, but an investigation is looking into the ‘possible involvement of third parties in the events prior’.
As more details emerge from the hours before Payne’s death, one hotel guest staying in the same hotel as Payne recalled hearing ‘violent noises’.
Doug Jones told the BBC: ‘I thought they were working on the room. There was a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, like banging, a lot of loud, violent noises, I thought.
‘And I saw hotel people going in and out of that room, so I thought they were doing work on the room.
‘So about 4pm, 430pm, I started hearing some more noise, I was still doing work, and I heard a really loud, violent scream around 4.45pm, 5pm.’ He then realised something was wrong when he saw ‘the whole road was full of cops’.
Liam Payne’s body has been transferred to the judicial morgue to be examined
His girlfriend Kate Cassidy posted a picture of the pair on her Instagram last August
Just 48 hours before his death, on October 14, it emerged that Payne’s ex-fiancée, Ms Maya Henry , had started legal proceedings against him
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing at his former bandmate Niall Horan’s, where he later posted a picture with Niall to Snapchat captioned: ‘Reunited.’
Police were called to the hotel at around 5pm following reports of ‘an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’, but when they arrived they heard a loud sound in the inner courtyard. Payne died instantly from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull.
Detectives have reportedly seized a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, a phone and a notebook from the singer’s suite, local media reports.
It comes after Argentine media, including major broadsheets, published troubling images believed to be taken from Payne’s suite which shows white powder, burnt foil and a smashed up TV screen.
Payne was found dead by police who say they found the popstar’s medicines including clonazepam – a drug which is used to control epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms and panic disorders.
There was a frantic call to 911 from hotel staff about ‘an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’ who was ‘smashing up his room’ minutes before he died.
These photos inside the luxury suite, published by Argentinian magazine Clarin, appeared to confirm the troubling report about Payne’s mental state.
On a table, the surface was covered with tin foil, white powder, a lighter and scorch marks on the wooden surface.
A blackened aluminium drinks can lid appeared to have been heated and a smashed TV screen on a shelf bore the signs of a heavy impact whilst a half-empty Champagne flute was nearby.
More candle and aluminum foil remains were found in the bathtub of Payne’s suite, the bottom of which was stained and had some burns.
Liam Payne with his father Geoff and mother Karen after the X Factor final in London in 2010
As well as father Geoff and mother Karen, Payne had two sisters, Nicola (left) and Ruth (right)
In a tape of the 911 call from the hotel manager to police, he could be heard saying: ‘I’m calling from the Casa Sur hotel in Palermo, we have a guest who is over the top with drugs and is breaking up the entire room.
‘We need someone to come.’
The call then cuts off and on a second call, the manager adds ‘when he is conscious he is breaking up the room.
‘We need you to send someone, please’
The emergency operator then asks the manager: ‘Under the influence of alcohol and narcotics?’
The manager’s response made his fears all too plain: ‘We need someone to be sent to us urgently, because I don’t know if the guest’s life is at risk.
‘The room has a balcony and we are afraid that they might do something’
Seconds later, it appeared it was too late to prevent the tragedy as the manager said with emotion in his voice: ‘Send only SAME, only SAME. [the city’s emergency paramedic service].’
Payne is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, his son Bear, 7, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
