Niall Horan, Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmate, has stated that the “passing of his amazing friend” has left him “absolutely devastated.”
Payne, who had traveled to Argentina to see Horan perform on tour, passed away on Wednesday evening in Buenos Aires.
Horan wrote, “It just doesn’t feel real.”
“I feel so fortunate to have recently seen him. I tragically didn’t have a clue about that in the wake of bidding farewell and embracing him that night, I would bid farewell until the end of time. It breaks our hearts.”
Horan stated in the statement, which was shared on Instagram: Liam exuded an infectious enthusiasm for his work and life. He always made everyone feel happy and safe, and he was the brightest person in every room.
“The sadness keeps bringing to mind all the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things. We got to experience our most extravagant fantasies together and I will treasure each second we had until the end of time. The friendship and bond we shared is rare in a lifetime.
The 31-year-old also conveyed his “love and condolences” to Payne’s loved ones.
He concluded by saying, “Payno, thank you for everything.”
Complete coverage of Liam Payne’s death:
‘I was a Directioner – here’s what he meant to me,’ according to One Direction’s complete tributes. ‘We all let you down Liam,’ according to Sharon Osbourne’s obituary: Full transcript of 911 call made moments before star fell The pair had maintained their friendship ever since One Direction split up in 2016, when Payne told fans on Snapchat earlier this month that he was going to visit Horan for a catch-up.
He stated: We have a lot to talk about, and I and Niall haven’t spoken in a while.
He went on to say, “No bad vibes or anything like that, but we need to talk.”
Last week, Payne went to Horan’s concert and posted videos on social media of him and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy dancing and singing along to the music.
On October 9, Horan reportedly returned to his London home after concluding his world tour in Bogota, Colombia.
He was the last One Direction member to make a personal statement about Payne’s passing.
On Thursday, the group, who met in 2010 while competing on The X Factor, released a joint statement in which they stated that they required time “to grieve and process the loss of our brother.”
