Harry Styles pays tribute to Liam Payne's 'dear friend' after his death: 'He had an energy for life that was infectious'

Harry Styles is the latest member of One Direction to share a heartbreaking message following the untimely death of Liam Payne aged just 31.

Alongside a photo of Payne sitting on a stage and singing to a huge crowd, Styles wrote via Instagram on Thursday (October 17), “I am truly devastated by Liam's death. His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honor to be by his side as he did so.”

The message continued: “Liam lived wide open, heart on his sleeve, had an energy for life that was contagious. 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 always be him, my dear friend. My heart goes out to Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”

Check out Styles' post here.

The statement comes in addition to one from Louis Tomlinson, a post from Zayn and a joint message from the surviving One Direction members, in which they wrote: “In time, and when everyone is able, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our dearly loved brother. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”

Payne died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, around 5:07 p.m. local time after suffering multiple injuries from a three-story fall, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found what appeared to be drugs and alcoholic beverages in his room after they arrived at the scene. In the moments leading up to the star's death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” and “wasting [their] the whole room;'' When the police got there, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died from his injuries.