Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates have spoken out about his tragic death. Louis Tomlinson shared a heartfelt message for his late friend, mentioning Liam’s 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he welcomed with ex Cheryl Cole in 2017. During a 2022 interview with People, Liam spoke about being a father to Bear and how happy he was that his son saw him as a “superhero.”
On Wednesday, October 16, Liam died after falling from his third floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
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Louis promised to be an 'uncle' to Liam's son Bear.
In a message shared on Instagram, Louis, 32, wrote directly to Liam, assuring him that he would help look after his son if needed. “I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,” Louis wrote.
Elsewhere in his caption, he described Liam as being “such a positive, funny, and kind soul” and “somebody I looked up to everyday.”
Liam was 'the most vital part of One Direction,' Louis said.
“His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam,” he wrote in his post. Beyond being a talented musician, though, Louis added that Liam was a “brother” and a “best friend” to him.
“I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye,” Louis wrote. “I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”
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Other former members of One Direction also paid tribute to Liam.
The other members of the band were also “devastated” by Liam’s unexpected death. In a statement shared on Instagram, Harry Styles, 30, said that his friend “had an energy for life that was infectious.”
“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” he wrote.
Zayn Malik acknowledged that he and Liam 'butted heads' before.
Zayn, 31, described Liam as a “headstrong” and “opinionated” person who “gave no f—s about telling other people when they were wrong.” He acknowledged that these characteristics made their relationship messy at times, but he “secretly respected” him for it even though he and Liam “butted heads because of this a few times.”
Writing directly to Liam, Zayn said, “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.”
He went on to say that he “lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly.”
Niall Horan feels 'fortunate' because he was able to see Liam recently.
A couple weeks before his death, Liam went to former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert. On Instagram, Niall, 31, wrote that he feels “so fortunate that I got to see him recently.”
Although he had the opportunity to see Liam at the October 2 concert, he of course didn’t realize that it would be his last time seeing him.
“I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever,” Niall wrote. “It’s heartbreaking.”
