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One Direction is breaking their silence on the “devastating” death of one of their former bandmates, Liam Payne. The pop boys group who soared into mainstream fame in 2010, is mourning the life of Payne who died after falling from a hotel balcony on Wednesday (Oct. 16).
“We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing,” the joint statement shared on their Instagram began.
“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” their message continues. “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,” the band concluded. “We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
A few hours after the band released the joint statement, Zayn Malik, a member of the band, shared a personal tribute to his late bandmate.
“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there are so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life,” Malik penned the message via Instagram on Thursday, October 17. “When I was missing home as a 17 year old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know that you were my friend and that I loved.”
Malik continued: “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f— about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.”
“When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, l was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional,” he added. “I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next. I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to 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. 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.”
Liam Payne and Zayn Malik's Relationship
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Alongside Payne and Malik, the band consisted of members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. The UK band came together on The X Factor, and while they didn't win the talent competition show, their success catapulted them to the masses at the show's end. During their career, the group released five studio albums and were known for hits “Story of My Life,” “You & I,” “One Thing,” “Night Changes,” and their breakout hit “What Makes You Beautiful.”
While the group had great success, in 2016 they broke up to pursue solo careers. A couple of years later, Payne made headlines on how he had a complex relationship and shared his sentiments on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast, expressing there were “many reasons” why he no longer liked Malik.
After the comments began pouring in, Payne clarified his comments about his former bandmate on X.
“Guys – I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when its your family it’s hard to let it slide,” he said. “They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to – but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have.”
“I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side,” he added. “That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”
In July 2023, Payne addressed his comments again on his YouTube channel with the video titled “I’m Back.”
“I think for me, a lot of what I said just came from the wrong place,” Payne said at the time. “I was so angry at what was going on around me that instead of taking a look inwards I decided to take it outwards at everybody else.”
