Zayn Malik has paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, who sadly passed away yesterday (16 October).
Payne died after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with police saying they had been dispatched to the hotel CasaSur in Palermo.
Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, said on Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that the singer had fallen from his hotel room into a courtyard.
Malik has now shared a statement responding to the tragic news, posting a photo of the two of them on Instagram.
My boyfriend had a secret wife and kids
He captioned the post: “Love You Bro.”
Zayn Malik captioned the post ‘Love You Bro’ (Instagram/@zayn)
The second picture contained a poignant and lengthy statement, which said: “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.
“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.
“When I was missing home as a 17 yr 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.
“Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong.
“Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.
“When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.
“I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.”
Malik shared a heartfelt statement to Instagram (Instagram/@zayn)
Malik added: “I 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. I will cherish all the memories I have with youin my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.
“I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are.
“Love you bro.”
Earlier this evening, One Direction also shared a joint statement, saying they felt ‘completely devastated’ by Payne’s death.
The band issued a joint statement earlier this evening (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
The statement, which was signed by Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan, said: “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 group went on to say that the memories they shared with Payne would be ‘treasured forever’, adding: “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.”
