Liam Payne Tributes: Friends and Family Mourning the One Direction Star Speak Out

After singer Liam Payne was found dead in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, his family and an X Factor host joined collaborators and other famous names in paying tribute to the 31-year-old former member of boy band One Direction.

“Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul,” said a statement from his family, per the BBC. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”

On Instagram, presenter Dermot O’Leary shared memories of Payne’s initial audition for The X Factor, the reality show that introduced him to his One Direction bandmates and launched their career. “The worst news. I remember him as a 14 year old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing,” he wrote. “He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble.”

Zedd, the DJ who collaborated with Payne on the 2017 song “Get Low,” shared his shock at the news on social media. “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking,” he wrote. In an Instagram story, R&B songwriter Ty Dolla $ign said, “Just talked to you 2 days ago my guy. Ima miss u.”

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who contributed to Payne’s 2017 single “Bedroom Floor,” shared a photo of the pair working together to his Instagram account. “I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone,” Puth added in his Instagram Stories. “I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”

Paris Hilton sent condolences to his friends and family on social media, adding, “RIP my friend.” Others in the music industry issued similar expressions of sadness. On the X account for boy band Backstreet Boys, the group wrote, “Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat. Our hearts go out to Liam’s family, friends, and Directioners around the world.”

So far none of Payne’s four former bandmates in One Direction—Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson—have issued statements, but Styles’s mother, Anne Twist, shared a photo of a broken heart emoji to her Instagram. “Just a boy,” she wrote.

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