Liam Payne’s family has spoken out following his death at age 31.
“We are utterly devastated by the news,” a family member told MailOnline at Payne’s family home in Wolverhampton, England.
BBC subsequently obtained a statement on behalf of the family: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
The musician is survived by parents Karen and Geoff Payne, as well as older sisters Nicola and Ruth. According to the Daily Mail, Liam’s sisters arrived at the house in the early morning of Thursday, October 17.
Us Weekly confirmed that Liam died on Wednesday, October 16, after falling to his death from the third floor of a hotel during a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to the Buenos Aires City Police, officers were dispatched to the CasaSur Palermo hotel following a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When authorities arrived, the hotel’s manager stated that he had heard a loud noise coming from the internal courtyard at the rear of the hotel.
Liam’s parents were familiar faces to One Direction fans, who often saw Karen and Geoff in the audience at shows. During one 2015 show in London, Liam’s bandmate Harry Styles famously told Karen she wasn’t dancing hard enough.
“Big friends and family section over there who think that they’re too good to stand up. You can boo them,” Styles, now 30, told the crowd. “I’m talking to you, Karen Payne. We know you can shake it.” After thanking the audience, Styles turned around and yelled, “Karen, up!” as he pointed his finger in the air.
Liam’s sisters, Ruth and Nicola, were also fans of their brother’s music. In January 2021, Ruth live-tweeted one of his concerts, gushing over his vocals and his take on the song “Fireproof” from One Direction’s album Four.
“This is absolutely flawless @LiamPayne, so so proud watching 💜 ,” she wrote at the time. “Woah @LiamPayne what are these power notes wooh absolute class 🥳🥳🥳 #LPFinalAct.”
One Direction formed in 2010 after Liam, Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson appeared on The X Factor UK as solo contestants. Simon Cowell formed them into a group, and they went on to release five albums before going on hiatus in late 2015. (Malik, 31, did not appear on the band’s final album, Made in the A.M., as he left the group in early 2015.)
After One Direction’s hiatus, Liam released several solo singles and collaborations with other artists. His first and only full-length solo album, LP1, dropped in December 2019.
In addition to his family, Liam is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.
