On October 16, 2024, One Direction star Liam Payne was found dead at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His death was first reported by TMZ, which shared alleged accounts of Payne’s “erratic” behavior in the hours leading up to his death. The singer was 31 years old. Liam Payne became a household name when he joined One Direction, the British boy band assembled by Simon Cowell along with four other singers who auditioned on X Factor. Those young boys including Harry Styles and Zayn Malik would become Liam’s famous bandmates for six years, touring the world, before they took an indefinite hiatus in 2016. The news of Liam’s passing has had a tremendous impact on fans worldwide and those who worked with him on One Direction and beyond. Here’s the latest on Harry Styles’ and other celebrities’ reactions to Liam Payne’s death.
Celebrities React To Liam Payne’s Death
One Direction
On October 17, 2024, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson released a joint statement as One Direction expressing their deep regrets for Liam Payne’s passing. The band acknowledged the shocking nature of the unexpected news, stating “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.” The touching memoriam continued by expressing how the remaining members “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.” Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Louis’ “thoughts are with [Liam’s] family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.”
Louis Tomlinson
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Louis Tomlinson separately released another heartfelt statement about “the most vital part of One Direction.” Tomlinson wrote on Instagram that he is “beyond devastated to be writing” about “los[ing] a brother.” He expressed that “Liam was somebody [he] looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.” Louis went on to share that he and Liam had spoken about “getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band” as Liam was “an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody.” He ended his tribute by detailing the wishes he hoped for his passed “best friend,” and “mate.”
Zayn
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Zayn shared a throwback photo of himself and Liam from the early days of 1D with the caption “Love you bro.” The second slide of the post opened up about how Zayn has been “talking out loud to [Liam]” since the tragedy because “there was so many more conversations for [he and Liam] to have in [their] lives.” He thanked Liam for being supportive, “sensible,” “opinionated,” and “positive.” Zayn finished paying his respects by emphasizing the love and respect he will “keep in [his] heart forever” as he “cherishes the memories.”
Harry Styles
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Harry Styles, too, shared his “devastation” over Liam’s passing with his own post on October 17. Next to a picture of Payne performing on stage, Styles commended the way “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve.” Styles also wrote that “his heart breaks” for Liam’s family, including his son Bear, as well as the world who “knew and loved him.”
Niall Horan
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Niall echoed his other bandmates’ strong sentiments for “his amazing friend” Liam, writing that the grievous news “doesn’t feel real.” Horan applauded Liam’s passion for life and music, after a sweet photo of the pair as teens on tour. Niall has been able to reflect on “all the laughs [they] had over the years…through the sadness” following Payne’s untimely death. Niall’s statement acknowledged that Liam had recently seen Niall at Niall’s concert in Argentina, two weeks before Payne’s passing. Niall wrote he of course did not know it was the last time he would be “saying goodbye forever” to his “brother” “Payno.”
Harry Styles’ Mom, Anne Twist
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Harry Style’s mother Anne Twist acknowledged the passing of Liam Payne who sang hits such as “Perfect” and “What Makes You Beautiful” with her son, Harry. She shared an image of a red broken heart over black on Instagram with the caption “Just a boy…” followed by another broken heart emoji.
Zayn Malik’s Family
Zayn’s sisters, Doniya and Waliyah Malik, shared their condolences on Instagram. They both shared the image of Time Magazine’s memorial post for Liam Payne with captions and emojis expressing how “heartbroken” they were over the news that left them with “no words.”
Zedd
Life is short and fragile…
You never know what people are going through.
We live in times where being rude, divisive and mean is normal; sometimes even celebrated. It doesn’t have to be this way.
We should do our best to be kind, supportive and mindful.— Zedd (@Zedd) October 16, 2024
DJ and producer Zedd mourned the loss on X, first writing “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real.” He followed up that Tweet with another expressing how “Life is short and fragile” and that “We live in times where being rude, divisive and mean is normal; sometimes even celebrated.” Zedd ended his post by encouraging fans and peers to “do our best to be kind, supportive and mindful.”
Charlie Puth
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Pop singer and songwriter Charlie Puth shared a picture of himself and Liam hanging out on October 16 as a tribute to Payne after the shocking news broke. The picture has no caption but displays a friendly relationship between the pair.
Lennon Stella
The Canadian singer of popular tunes like “Bad” once performed with Liam live. Lennon shared the personal memory on her Instagram Story with the caption “Rest Easy.”
Noah Cyrus
The younger Cyrus sister wrote a lengthy tribute to Liam, highlighting how much she loved the UK singer as someone who “eat sleep breathed one direction”. She ended the impassioned note wishing Liam “so much peace beyond this world.”
Rita Ora
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Rita Ora got emotional on stage after attempting to perform “For You,” a duet she recorded with Liam for the movie Fifty Shades Freed. She also uploaded more sentiments in a tribute post to the “kindest soul” on Instagram.
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran shared a black and white portrait of Payne in his honor on October 18, expressing his condolences to Liam’s family and loved ones. Sheeran worked with Payne on a 2017 single “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo.
Leigh Anne Pinnock
The British songstress chimed in with her support for Liam and his family following the “heartbreaking” update. Leigh Anne reminisced on seeing One Direction live where she was “instantly drawn to Liam’s stage presence” and how “lovely and humble” Liam was “every time [they] crossed paths” since.
