One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson Breaks Silence on Liam Payne’s Death

Louis Tomlinson is the first member of One Direction to break his silence on Liam Payne’s death.

Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after taking a fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Louis shared a photo of the pair on Instagram and wrote, “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”

He recalled, “I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.”

Tomlinson described his friend as an “incredible song writer with a great sense of melody,” and revealed, “We often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.”

Praising Liam’s many talents, Louis wrote, “And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. 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.”

Tomlinson added, “A message to you Liam if you’re listening,” sharing, “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. 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.”

Writing of Payne’s 7-year-old son, Louis continued, “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.”

Mourning his friend, he wrote, “I wish I got [the] chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X.”

Louis, Liam, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were members of One Direction from the group’s inception in 2010, until they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Shortly after Louis posted, Zayn posted an image of himself and Liam napping while on tour years ago. He wrote, "Love You Bro ❤️," and his own long note. Read it here.