Ed Sheeran urges others to ‘be kind’ following death of Liam Payne

Ed Sheeran has urged others to “be kind” as he paid tribute to Liam Payne following his death aged 31.

Musicians and famous faces have been remembering the singer after police in Argentina said he died falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

Payne rose to fame aged 16 as part of One Direction, who went on to become a global sensation after they finished third on The X Factor in 2010.

Alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne smiling shared to Instagram, Sheeran wrote: “At a loss for words.

“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heart-breaking situation. Be kind. X”

Harry Styles said the years he spent with his One Direction band mate Liam Payne “will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life” following the singer’s death at 31.

Payne, who rose to fame with the boy band on The X Factor, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

“I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” three-time Grammy winner Styles said in a statement on Instagram.

Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a post-mortem examination report said.

Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.

Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”

A joint statement from his One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”, adding the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.

In a separate statement, Styles said Payne’s “greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it”.

“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious,” he said.

“He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving.

“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.”

Styles said his “heart breaks” for Payne’s family and his seven-year-old son Bear, who he shared with his former partner, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

Fellow One Direction star Louis Tomlinson vowed to be an uncle to Payne’s son in a separate Instagram statement.

“I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,” the 32-year-old said.

Tomlinson said Payne was “the most vital part of One Direction”, describing his “perfect pitch, his stage presence, (and) his gift for writing”.

“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,” he said.

“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”

Tomlinson said he and Payne had planned to get “back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band”, adding that he wished he had the “chance to say goodbye” to “one of my best friends”.

Both Tomlinson and former One Direction star Zayn Malik said they had “lost a brother”.

Malik, who left the band in 2015 citing the need to have “some private time out of the spotlight” before embarking on a solo career, thanked Payne for “supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life” in a separate post on Instagram.

“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,” he said.

Malik said he “butted heads” with Payne at times because he was “headstrong” and “opinionated”, but “always secretly respected” him for it.

“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated,” the 31-year-old added.

Among those paying tribute was Camila Cabello, who rose to fame on the US version of The X Factor in 2012 after forming the girl group Fifth Harmony.

“Thank you Liam for all the joy you brought my friends and I” she wrote on Instagram. “It really made an impression on me as a young girl to meet a member of a group I loved and have him be so kind.

“It’s a tragedy to have him gone way too soon.”

JLS star Oritse Williams reflected on the challenges the music industry can bring after being propelled to fame following The X Factor two years before One Direction were formed on the show.

Williams, who first met Payne when the singer auditioned for the singing competition the first time round aged 14, told BBC Breakfast, “I feel with the music industry there isn’t enough duty of care.

“It’s a tough, tough game. You have to have very thick skin, and when you haven’t lived life and been through different trials and tribulations, to go through trials and tribulations whilst being under the spotlight is a very difficult thing and who’s there to support…

“I’ve been through my own trials and tribulations, which has been well documented, and there was nowhere for me to look at, I just had my family and friends and my loved ones to hold me up.

“And I feel like with Liam, it’s the same. He did have, obviously, a beautiful family, but you’re out there alone in this crazy, crazy world where there’s a lot of vultures, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s very, very tough to navigate sometimes.”

He added that during his time on The X Factor he was able to “learn a lot” but he felt you are left “on your own” afterwards and that “nothing prepares you for the pandemonium that ensues”, particularly for someone who experienced superstardom on Payne’s level.

Reflecting on first meeting Payne in 2008, Williams said he was a “ball of energy” with an “electric personality” and a “great voice”.

The JLS star said they went on to have “some really emotional, deep conversations” over the years and he thought of him as a “beautiful soul”.

“He really showed me that he’s not about this famous celebrity life, actually the reason why he was doing what he was doing, and I related to him, was because we both had a passion and a love for singing and music, and what a great singer he was,” he added.

Boyband JLS previously said Payne felt like their “original fifth member” when he auditioned alongside them in 2008 and they “always knew he’d go on to achieve great things”.

“To have lost a brother of ours so young is devastating and we will fondly remember the joy and the hope and the happiness he brought to so many people’s lives”, the group added in a social media post.

“Our hearts go out to his mum and family, his little boy and all those around the world who will miss him so very deeply. Gone way too soon brother, Rest in Peace.”

Craig Revel Horwood remembered Payne as a “lovely person” and said he thought the singer had a “very bright future” ahead.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge, who met the singer when they appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show together, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Thirty-one is just no age and I just hate that.

“He was a lovely, lovely, lovely person backstage, when Shirley (Ballas), Motsi (Mabuse) and myself were on Jonathan Ross with him.

“He was just adorable and he had what I considered a very bright future.

“And someone that young leaving the world so soon or early, before their life has come to fruition.

“I mean, I was 30 when I stopped dancing and then I changed my career entirely. And I just think of myself at that age and the life he could have had ahead of him is, it is frightening, isn’t it?

“And it’s super, super, super sad. So my heart pours out to his family.”