5 Seconds of Summer have paid an emotional tribute to Liam Payne following his tragic death aged 31 on Wednesday.
The One Direction singer jumped 45 feet from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, prompting a wave of tributes from across the entertainment world.
And now the Australian boy band have revealed they are “heartbroken” as they thank the star for the “influence you had on our lives”.
5 Seconds Of Summer toured with One Direction as a support act in 2013 on their Take Me Home tour.
The collaboration propelled the new group into the spotlight with members Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin describing their time together as an “honour” and writing: “we will never forget your presence in our lives.”
5 Seconds Of Summer have revealed they are ‘heartbroken’ as they pay tribute to Liam Payne following the singer’s shocking death on Wednesday.
The One Direction singer fell 45 feet from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, prompting a wave of tributes from across the entertainment world.
Sharing a group photo of both boybands together, they wrote: ‘We are heartbroken. We love you, Liam, and we will never forget the influence you had on our lives.
‘You really believed in us and for that we will be eternally grateful. We don’t know if we thanked you enough.
“You were always very kind to us. It was an honor to start our journey with you, we will never forget your presence in our lives.
‘There was such a bright light in you, we always saw it. We are so devastated that this world turned off that light.
‘We hope you’re always singing up there. With all our love, Calum, Ashton, Luke and Michael.”
Liam’s One Direction bandmates broke their silence following his tragic death on Thursday by releasing an emotional statement.
In a joint statement signed by “Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry,” they said they were “completely devastated.”
“In time, and when everyone can do it, there will be more to say,” they said.
Sharing a group photo of both boybands together, they wrote: ‘We are heartbroken. We love you, Liam, and we will never forget the influence you had on our lives.
5 Seconds Of Summer toured with One Direction as a support act in 2013 on their Take Me Home tour (pictured in 2014)
Niall Horan, 31, the latest band member to pay tribute, said in his heartbreaking statement that he didn’t know that “our recent hug was our final goodbye.”
He wrote on Instagram: “I am absolutely devastated by the passing of my incredible friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real.”
“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we love very much.
‘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.’
The band has also separately released their own tributes.
Styles wrote on Instagram that he was “truly devastated” and “will always miss him.”
‘His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honor to be with him while he did it.
‘Liam lived completely open, with his heart in his hand, he had an energy for life that was contagious.
‘He was warm, understanding and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will always be among the most precious years of my life. I will always miss you, my dear friend.
“My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear and all those around the world who knew and loved him, like me.”
Tomlinson said in an emotional tribute that he was “really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye”.
He posted a photo on his Instagram page of the two on stage with Payne lovingly putting his arm on Tomlinson’s shoulder.
Tomlinson said he would be an uncle to Payne’s son, Bear, if he “ever needed me” and “I would tell him stories about how wonderful his father was.”
“I’m so grateful that we’ve gotten even closer since we formed the band, talking on the phone for hours, remembering the thousands of incredible memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life,” he wrote. .
“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it didn’t happen that way.
‘I wish I had the chance to say goodbye and tell you once again how much I loved you.
Harry posted a photo of Liam on stage performing to a large stadium of fans along with his heartbreaking tribute.
The singer took to Instagram to share his emotional message to his friend, whom he described as “warm, supportive and incredibly loving.”
Harry (pictured with Liam in 2013) wrote: “My heart breaks for Karen Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, their son Bear and all those around the world who knew and loved him as I did.”
In a statement shared on Instagram, Louis said he was “beyond devastated” by the death of his friend (pictured together in 2015).
Louis also shared snaps of the pair as they joked together on stage that he would always be Liam’s ‘big brother’.
‘Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X.’
Malik said he had been talking loudly to Payne “hoping you could hear me.”
In his heartbreaking tribute, he said he had “lost a brother when you left us.”
“And I can’t explain to you what I would give to give you one last hug, say goodbye properly and tell you that I loved and respected you very much,” he wrote.
‘I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever. There are no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are now you are well and at peace and know how loved you are. I love you brother.’
Niall, 31, the latest band member to pay tribute, said in his heartbreaking statement that he didn’t know that “our recent hug was our final goodbye.”
He wrote on Instagram: “I am absolutely devastated by the passing of my incredible friend, Liam. It just doesn’t seem real.
“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was contagious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and safe.
‘All the laughter we’ve had over the years, sometimes about the simplest things, keeps coming to mind through the sadness.
‘We were able to live our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in life.
Another selection of photos showed how close the couple were.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Louis said he was “beyond devastated” by his friend’s death and said he will “always be an uncle” to the late singer’s eight-year-old son, Bear.
In his tribute, Zayn wrote: “I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t tell you what I would give to give you a hug one last time.”
The singer, whom Liam had seen in concert in Argentina just days before he died, continued: “I feel very lucky to have been able to see him recently. Unfortunately I didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that night, I would say goodbye forever. It’s piercing.
‘My love and deepest condolences to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola and of course their son Bear.
‘Thank you for everything, Payno. I love you brother. Nialler’
Liam fell 45 feet from the third floor to the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Argentina’s capital on Wednesday, before doctors confirmed his death.
Payne had arrived in South America with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy on September 30, staying in Argentina for two weeks after only planning to spend “five days” there.
Police were called to the hotel after receiving reports of an “aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Shortly afterwards, workers heard a loud sound in the hotel courtyard before the Wolverhampton-born singer’s body was discovered shortly after 5pm local time.
Shocked fans gathered outside after police cordoned off the area and forensic investigators were seen coming and going in white protective suits and blue gloves.
The star was said to have been “acting erratically in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop” before he “had to be taken back to his room”, according to local media.