Lottie paid tribute to Liam (Image: Instagram / lottietomlinson)One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson’s sister, Lottie, has shared a heartfelt tribute to his former bandmate Liam Payne, who tragically passed away last week. The ex-One Direction member sadly fell 45ft from his hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires at 5.04pm on Wednesday. Now, makeup artist and influencer Lottie, 26, has honoured Liam by posting a reel on her social media as she arrived back in London. She expressed: “Home with a heavy heart. RIP Liam. You were loved by so many and will be so greatly missed. Sending so much love to everyone.” The mum-of-one then posted a nostalgic black and white snap of Liam and her brother at an awards ceremony from years ago. The tender memory features Louis with a half-smile glancing downwards, whilst a joyful Liam is caught mid-laughter.
She posted a throwback of Liam and Louis
(Image: lottietomlinson/instagram)
Lottie, 26, is currently pregnant with her second child with fiancé Lewis Burton, 31, and knows all too well the pain of loss. She experienced her own grief journey when she and Louis’ mum, Johannah Deakin, died from cancer at just 43 in 2016, leaving behind six children aged between 2 and 25. Reflecting on the past year and her trauma, she revealed: “When my mum died, there was never any conversations about getting any help. And looking back, that was quite shocking to me… especially the fact that she had cancer. It was a medical illness. We were surrounded by a lot of medical professionals, and there were young children involved, and there didn’t seem to be any sit down conversations where it was like, ‘Do we want to sort out getting some help’. So I never had anything when I lost my mum.” Tragically, just three years later, her younger sister Felicite passed away from an accidental drug overdose at the tender age of 18. This heart-breaking event was the push Lottie needed to seek therapy and confront her grief. As she reflected on these traumatic events, Lottie exclusively told OK! she has worked very hard to reach a place of acceptance. “I feel like I’m at a comfortable stage with grief. I don’t think you ever get over it or are ‘not grieving’. When you suffer losses as big as mine and lose people who were that close in your life, you don’t get over that.”
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Lottie posted to her instagram
(Image: Instagram/ @lottietomlinson)
She continued: “You just work to get to a more comfortable stage with the feeling. I think accepting what’s happened has been a big thing for me. Sometimes, you don’t feel like you’re ever going to get to that point. But I have. Now, I can be happy and really channel that.” Lottie previously travelled extensively with her sibling and the rest of the One Direction team in a professional capacity with hairdresser Lou Teasdale. In remembrance of their friend, the remaining members of the band, Louis, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan, came together to express their fond memories and sorrow through a collective eulogy. They also shared personal tributes on their pages, with Louis expressing he was “beyond devastated”. Sharing his sorrow on Instagram, Louis penned: “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”
Louis paid a heartfelt tribute to Liam
(Image: FilmMagic)
Continuing in the emotional post, Louis recounted: “I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for. Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.” Louis further added, paying tribute to Liam’s talent and influence: “And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam. A message to you Liam if you’re listening, I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye.”
Lottie often travelled with Liam on tour
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Reflecting on their connection, Louis shared: “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. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.” “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. I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X”.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnLiam PayneLouis TomlinsonOne DirectionLottie Tomlinson
