Liam Payne's family have spoken out following the former One Direction member's death on Wednesday (October 16.
“We are devastated. Liam will forever live in our hearts and will be remembered for his kind, funny and brave soul,” the statement shared with the BBC he said on Thursday (October 17). “We are supporting each other as best we can as a family and are asking for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Police in Argentina confirmed the 31-year-old died after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, resulting in “extremely serious injuries”. According to the Associated Press, police rushed to the hotel shortly after 5 p.m. local time after a manager called law enforcement to report an “aggressive male” was “destroying the entire room.”
Tributes to the singer-songwriter began immediately after the news of his death. “RIP Liam… I can't believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking,” producer Zedd tweeted, while rapper Flavor Flav wrote to X that the 31-year-old died “too young”.
Payne was a member of the pop group One Direction along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. The group was formed in 2010 in the United Kingdom The X Factorand disbanded in 2015. During the boy band's time together, they scored six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — including “What Makes You Beautiful” (No. 4) and “Best Song Ever” (No. 2) — as well as four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son Bear, who he shares with ex-partner Cheryl Cole.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/liam-payne-dead-family-statement-1235803910/