Devastated Zayn Malik Is 'in Shock' Over One Direction Bandmate Liam Payne's Tragic Death: 'He's in Absolute Bits'

Zayn Malik is grieving the loss of his late One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne .

Payne devastatingly died at age 31 on Wednesday, October 16, after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Following the heartbreaking news of Payne's passing, a source close to Malik, 31, shed light on how the "Pillowtalk" singer is holding up after learning about his longtime friend's death .

"Zayn was told in the early hours of this morning and has been in absolute bits," a U.S. music producer working with Malik informed a news publication on Thursday, October 17. "He is in shock, and his parents have been in touch with Liam’s family to offer their support and condolences."

"People close to Zayn don’t want him to be alone at the moment, so he is surrounded by friends," the insider noted of Malik — who shares his 4-year-old daughter, Khai , with famed model Gigi Hadid .

According to the confidante, it "had been a while since Zayn and Liam had spoken" because of "issues they had with one another in the past," however, the former bandmates "respected each other from a distance."

"They didn’t hate each other but they couldn’t see eye to eye on different things," the source explained, admitting: "But they both felt that they had been exploited in the music industry."

As OK! previously reported, Payne's family said in a statement after their loved one's sudden passing: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."

Malik and Payne stole the hearts of fans worldwide when they formed the pop boy band One Direction in 2010 alongside Harry Styles , 30, Louis Tomlinson , 32, and Niall Horan , 31.

The young singers were paired together by former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger — who was a judge on The X Factor at the time — after each of the boys auditioned as solo artists.

One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in January 2016, with each member going on to pursue solo careers in the music industry. Malik was first to leave the band in 2015 before One Direction officially dispersed as a whole.

In November 2019, Payne opened up about his troubled relationship with Malik — who he referred to as the most talented singer in their group — during an interview with British GQ .

"For Zayn, he loves music and he’s an amazing talent. He genuinely was the best singer in One Direction , hand on heart, out of all of us," Payne declared .

When asked if he wanted to reach out to Malik, Payne admitted : "I did, yeah. I didn’t want him to feel like he was going through this all alone in some ways, or that we were all out to get him. We're the only people who know what you're going through."

"The only five people who know what you are going through were all in a room together once, and you left – fair enough – but you don’t want anyone going through such evils for no reason," he continued regarding Malik's mental health struggles. "But it got to a point with me where I wouldn’t know where to begin with Zayn. I hope he has good people around him, but I don’t at this stage think it’s anything the rest of us can solve."

Daily Mail spoke to a source regarding Malik's reaction to Payne's passing.