Liam Payne’s family have issued a statement following his death (Image: Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)The family of former One Direction star Liam Payne have broken their silence after it was revealed that the Steal My Girl singer had tragically passed away at the age of 31. The family have said that they are “heartbroken” by his death, adding in a statement that “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul”. In a statement issued by his spokeswoman, his family said: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Liam Payne has sadly died at the age of 31
The family’s statement follows the sad news from Wednesday, 16 October that Liam had died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires. Following the tragedy, Liam’s parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, were seen leaving their Wolverhampton home in the middle of the night as the news reached them. According to reports, the curtains at the family home remained closed throughout this morning. A relative who answered the door told reporters: “We’re obviously devastated at the news but we don’t want to comment.” Neighbours added that two women, thought to be Liam’s older sisters, Nicola and Ruth, were seen entering the house at 9am. One anonymous resident, told MailOnline: “They were seen leaving in a hurry at around midnight last night but I’m not sure if they had bags.
Liam’s family paid tribute to his “kind, funny and brave soul”
(Image: Tim Thursfield / newsteam)
Liam had two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth
(Image: Instagram)
Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free “You can’t imagine what they are going through. I know Liam liked to get back here when he could. They will be utterly heartbroken as they very close. His home town always had a place in his heart. The community is going to be devastated. I think the sisters are there now, your heart goes out to them.” Following his death, fans have have lined the streets outside the Buenos Aires hotel where Liam died, while others have taken to social media to share their condolences and memories of the star. Among those who have paid tribute to the Strip That Down singer is former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary. “I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing. “He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble,” he wrote on Instagram. Meanwhile Olly Murs, who was on The X Factor one year before Liam found fame, posted a picture of them together. “We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together,” he wrote.
Liam rose to fame as part of the band One Direction, who were formed on The X Factor in 2010
(Image: Getty Images)
“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad.” Liam made up one fifth of the band One Direction, who were formed on the X Factor, alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. During their time together, the band secured four UK number one singles and sold more than 70 million singles worldwide. In March 2015, Zayn left the band. “After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year,” read a statement released at the time. In 2016, the rest of the brand went on an extended hiatus.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnLiam PayneOne Direction
