Niall Horan is mourning the loss of his former One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne. On Friday, the singer shared an emotional tribute on social media. He shared a throwback image with the late musician and wrote, "I am absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn't feel real. 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."
Niall reminisced about the countless laughs they shared over the years and added, "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. The bond and friendship we had doesn't happen often in a lifetime."
He shared that he had met Liam Payne just a couple of weeks earlier at one of his concerts on October 2. He wrote, "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. My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you, brother. Nialler"
Videos from Niall Horan's concert showed Liam Payne enjoying himself, clapping along with the music and taking photos with fans. Before the concert, Liam Payne had mentioned on Snapchat that he and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, were looking forward to reconnecting with Niall.
ICYDK, Niall Horan and Liam Payne were part of One Direction from 2010 to 2016, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. Zayan left the group in 2015, and after their fifth album, Made in the A.M., the band went on an indefinite hiatus, with all members pursuing solo careers. One Direction, formed on The X Factor, became one of the best-selling boy bands in history. In 2023, as their hit What Makes You Beautiful reached 1 billion streams, Liam Payne reflected on his experiences with the band and said, "I'm learning about myself and what this was all for. I'm so happy we created such a great soundtrack to life for five years."
Liam Payne died after falling three floors from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31. Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, said that he fell into a courtyard at Casa Sur Hotel. The prosecutor's office in Argentina confirmed that Liam Payne died from "multiple traumas", including "internal and external bleeding", as well as a cranial injury sustained in the fall. According to La Nación, hotel staff had previously contacted the police regarding an "aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol."