Liam Payne was found dead after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, Oct. 16, according to multiple reports. Following the heartbreaking news, Harry Styles took to social media to pay tribute to his former One Direction bandmate. Harry Styles’s statement on Liam Payne’s death reminds fans of how special the One Direction bond was, and still is today.
Styles’s statement, shared on Oct. 17 on Instagram with a photo of Payne performing to an arena, reads in full:
“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing.
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 forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will mis 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.
– Harry”
Styles — along with One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson — released a joint statement on Oct. 17 reacting to the news about their friend’s death. Posted on the One Direction official Instagram account, the statement reads, in full:
“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 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.”
While Styles and Payne haven’t been seen together in years (they last performed together in 2019 at the CapitalFM Jingle Bell Ball), Payne said in a June 2022 Instagram Live that he had caught up with Styles recently and the two were on good terms. “I did speak to Harry, and it was really lovely,” he said. “I spoke to him, and it was a really lovely catchup, actually. And I’ve got a lot of love for the man. He’s great, he’s really, really great.” Payne also said, “Everyone’s so busy and you’ve got to be understanding of all that.”
In February 2023, Payne posted to social media to congratulate Styles on his Grammy wins for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for Harry’s House. He shared an image of Styles holding a Grammy and captioned it, “Wow … this image is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you’ve earned,” Payne captioned his post. “God bless you brother congratulations.”
As the world processes this heartbreaking news, it’s clear that the bond Payne shared with his One Direction bandmates — and with millions of fans across the globe — remains unbreakable. Though he is gone, his legacy of joy, friendship, and music will forever live on.