As Liam Payne sang in One Direction’s song “Walking in the Wind,” “Goodbyes are bittersweet/ But it’s not the end/ I’ll see your face again.” His death at the age of 31 shocked fans around the world. As part of the biggest boy band, he and his former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik rose to global fame together.
In response to his passing, the band members released a statement expressing their grief and memories of him on social media. It read, “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. 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 memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. 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. Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”
While they did release a joint statement, a few members of One Direction have yet to speak out individually. In an Instagram post dedicated to Liam Payne, Louis wrote, “l 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 continued, “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but l’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.”
In addition, Zayn wrote a message to his former bandmate on Instagram, stating, “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what l’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.”
Shortly after the other two made their posts, Harry shared a tribute to Liam on Instagram, writing, “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend. My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicole and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”
Niall then took to Instagram, to express, “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.” The Irish singer added, “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.”
