Former members of the British-Irish boy band One Direction – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan – expressed their grief and mourned the tragic death of Liam Payne, who passed away on Thursday after falling off a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a joint statement shared by the official social media of One Direction and signed by Harry, Zayn, Louis and Niall, the members said, “We are completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. 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. Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”

Harry Styles took to Instagram to share a picture of Liam performing. “I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” he wrote in a note.

“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeves, he had an energy for life that was infectious… The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” he further added.

Zayn, who left One Direction in 2015, also took to his official Instagram handle and wrote “Love You Bro” alongside an old picture of him and Liam together. In a separate note, Zayn wrote, “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can't help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.”

Reminiscing about the good-old band days, Zayn reflected on how Liam, despite being younger, was always more sensible than him. He recalled how Liam was headstrong, opinionated, and unafraid to call people out when they were wrong. While this caused the bandmates to butt heads a few times, Zayn admitted that he had always secretly respected him for it.

“I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is [sic] no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated,” he concluded.

Louis also wrote a tribute to former bandmate, Liam. Sharing a picture of them together during a performance he wrote, “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.”

Recalling the first time they met – Louis was 18 and Liam was 16 – he wrote how he’d been immediately amazed by Liam's voice. Over time, he came to cherish the brotherly bond they’d formed – something he'd always longed for. Louis also praised Liam as an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody. He revealed that they’d often talked about getting back into the studio to recreate the writing chemistry they had built during their time in the band.

In the message dedicated to Liam, Louis further wrote, “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. 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 wish I got [sic] 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.”

One Direction was a British-Irish boy band formed in 2010, comprising Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik. Known for their catchy pop hits, they achieved global fame with songs like What Makes You Beautiful and Night Changes. Much to the disappointment of its fans, the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 after their last release, History, and most of the members focused on their solo careers.