Louis Tomlinson mourns Liam Payne's 'brother', calls him 'the most vital part of One Direction'

Louis Tomlinson has been paying tribute to his longtime friend and former partner Liam Payne following news of his death on Wednesday (October 16).

In a heartbreaking post shared on Instagram on Thursday (October 17), Tomlinson said he was “devastated” to have “lost a brother”, along with a photo of the two One Direction members smiling on stage, holding Payne's hand wrapped around Tomlinson's shoulder. .

“Liam was someone I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny and kind soul,” the 'Bigger Than Me' singer continued in his post. “I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was immediately blown away by his voice, but more importantly as time went on I got the chance to see the kind brother I've been craving all my life.”

He added that Payne was the “most vital part of One Direction”, due to his “experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing”.

Tomlinson then shared a message directly to Payne, hoping he was 'listening', writing: 'I feel beyond lucky to have you in my life, but I'm really struggling with the idea of ​​saying goodbye. I'm so thankful that we got even closer after the band, talking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I would have with you for a lifetime. I would love to share the stage with you again, but it wasn't to be.”

She went on to look after Payne's seven-year-old son Bear, adding: “I'll be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories about how amazing his dad was.”

“Pino, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you man. Sleep well,” his statement concluded. Check it out here.

Tomlinson's statement comes in addition to a joint message from the surviving members of One Direction, in which they noted that they are “completely devastated by the news of Liam's death”. The team's statement continued, “In time, and when everyone is in position, 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 around 5:07 p.m. local time after suffering multiple injuries and bleeding from the 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.