One Direction 'Completely Devastated' by 'Our Brother' Liam Payne's death

One Direction have spoken out about the loss of former bandmate Liam Payne, who died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday (October 16).

In a joint statement shared A day after the tragedy, surviving members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson wrote that they are collectively “completely devastated by the news of Liam's death”.

“In time, and when everyone is able, there will be more to say,” their message continues. “But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our much-loved brother. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”

“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him by our side,” the band added. “We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

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.

Payne, Styles, Horan, Malik and Tomlinson first met in 2010 The X Factorwhen judges Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger placed them together in a boy band. One Direction continued for six years afterward, scoring four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, as well as numerous sold-out world tours before disbanding in 2016.

All five members then pursued solo careers. Relations between the members were sometimes strained after the heirs split, but in recent years, the quintet seemed to support each other more than ever. Just two weeks before he died in Argentina, Payne had attended Horan's concert in the country.

In addition to the band's statement, Tomlinson also shared his own personal tribute to Payne Instagram on Thursday. “Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction,” he wrote, sharing a throwback photo with his late partner. “His experience as a child, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for setting us up Liam.”