Niall Horan: I will cherish every moment with Liam Payne forever

Niall Horan has paid a touching tribute to his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne saying he did not realise when he last saw him he would be saying “goodbye forever”.

Payne died aged 31 after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, having previously flown in to Argentina to watch Horan perform on tour.

Horan said he will “cherish every moment” he had with his bandmate “forever” after they rose to global stardom together with their fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik following the boy band placing third on The X Factor in 2010.

“I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real”, Horan wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the singer giving Payne a piggyback ride in their younger days.

“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.

“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.”

Payne was spotted dancing at Horan’s show around two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

Horan continued: “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”

The singer also sent his “love and condolences” to Payne’s family and his son Bear, who he shared with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

He signed off the statement saying: “Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler.”

Payne’s other bandmembers also paid emotional tributes to him while a joint statement from the band said they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”, adding the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.

The singer’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”

The singer died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a post-mortem examination report said.

Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.

In a separate statement, Styles said Payne’s “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 said.

“He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.

“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.”

Styles said his “heart breaks” for Payne’s family and his seven-year-old son Bear.

Fellow One Direction star Tomlinson vowed to be an uncle to Payne’s son in a separate Instagram statement.

“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,” the 32-year-old said.

Tomlinson said Payne was “the most vital part of One Direction”, describing his “perfect pitch, his stage presence, (and) his gift for writing”.

“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,” he added.

“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”

Tomlinson said he and Payne had planned to get “back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band”, adding that he wished he had the “chance to say goodbye” to “one of my best friends”.

Both Tomlinson and former One Direction star Malik said they had “lost a brother”.

Malik, who left the band in 2015 citing the need to have “some private time out of the spotlight” before embarking on a solo career, thanked Payne for “supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life” in a separate post on Instagram.

“When I was missing home as a 17 (year) old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved,” he said.

Family friend and former hairdresser to Payne, Nick Malenko, told the Express & Star he had messaged his mother Karen and said: “She’s finding it hard to speak about what’s happened, but she said ‘I’ve lost my beautiful boy’.”

The band toured across the globe and had five hit albums, as well as four number one singles in the UK chart with popular tracks including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

After Payne’s death, five witnesses were questioned in order to reconstruct what happened, the prosecutor’s office said.

Reports said staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.

Police in the capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken” – adding that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone had been retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payne’s body was found.

One Direction fans and famous faces across the world have paid tribute while others mourned his death at a vigil outside the Argentine hotel where they lit candles and laid flowers.