Niall Horan mourns death of former bandmate Liam Payne

*Attached video: Remembering the celebrities who died in 2023

(WJW) – Niall Horan of One Direction is mourning the death of his former bandmate.

Former One Direction member Liam Payne died in Argentina on Wednesday at the age of 31 after he fell from the balcony of a third-story room of the Casa Sur hotel.

“I am absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real,” Horan said on Instagram . “Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.”

Horan posted a picture of the pair from years ago with a single black heart emoji as the caption.

“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever,” Horan continued. “The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”

According to social media posts by Payne, she attended Horan’s concerts in early October.

“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” Horan said.

Horan ended his statement by sending condolences to Payne’s family.

“My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Beaer. Thank you for everything Payno. Love you brother. Nialler,” Horan said.

A joint statement from Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles was also released on Thursday.

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