A day after the passing of their bandmate Liam Payne, the members of One Direction shared a collective, heartfelt message to fans expressing their grief and disbelief. Harry Styles also took a moment to share a note of his own, joining Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in opening up about the group’s time together and the memories that they shared.
“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” his Instagram post read. “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it. Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”
“My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did,” Styles finished before signing his name.
Styles’s sentiment echoed the group’s Instagram post, which also emphasized that the individual members would need time to “grieve and process” the loss of their friend.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” the message read. “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 alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.”
Payne passed away on October 16 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After an investigation, local officials shared that he fell from a balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel and died due to “trauma and internal and external bleeding.”
According to the Irish Star, Alberto Crescenti, head of Buenos Aires emergency services, confirmed the singer’s passing and revealed that there was nothing the emergency response team could do when it arrived on the scene.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life. Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death,” Crescenti said.