One Direction Releases Joint Statement on Liam Payne’s Death

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles have released a joint statement in the wake of Liam Payne’s death.

Payne, 31, fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina on Wednesday.

The former bandmates wrote on Instagram, “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 group continued, “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,” they said, adding, “We love you Liam.”

The message was signed, “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”

The first individual band member to speak out about Liam’s death was Louis.

He wrote, in part, on Instagram Thursday, “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”

Tomlinson later added, “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.”

Read his full message here.

Later in the day, Zayn posted a photo of himself and Liam napping while on tour, captioning it, "Love You Bro ❤️," along with his own long note. Read his message here.