Ed Sheeran has urged others to “be kind” as he paid tribute to Liam Payne following his death aged 31.
Musicians and famous faces have been remembering the singer after police in Argentina said he died falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Payne rose to fame aged 16 as part of One Direction alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, who went on to become a global sensation after the band finished third on The X Factor in 2010.
Alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne smiling shared to Instagram, Sheeran wrote: “At a loss for words.
“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heart-breaking situation. Be kind. X”
Robbie Williams also called for greater kindness and empathy following the death of Payne, who he described as “a handsome talented boy”.
The former Take That member recalled performing and hanging out with One Direction during the 2010 X Factor final, saying: “They were all cheeky and lovely.”
He continued: “Our paths have crossed ever since that day and I’m fond of them all. Liam’s trials and tribulations were very similar to mine, so it made sense to reach out and offer what I could. So I did.”
Williams went on to call for people to not make sudden judgements and to think before they write their thoughts on the internet, saying: “Even famous strangers need your compassion”.
maggie rogers just did a tribute for liam and sang part of night changes and im sobbing pic.twitter.com/WYswkpxw5e
— 🍉 (@pleasingblooms) October 18, 2024
He added: “What a handsome talented boy. What a tragic painful loss for his friends, family, fans and by the looks of the energy this moment has created – The world.”
During a performance in Boston, US singer Maggie Rogers paid tribute to the music star with a rendition of One Direction song Night Changes.
“I wanted to just honour anyone who has been touched by that music group’s songs”, she said.
Cassidy Jobin, 30, from Ohio, told the PA news agency: “There was a profound stillness as we all focused on Maggie Rogers during her tribute, a moment of deep human connection as we shared in collective grief.”
Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who rose to fame after winning The X Factor with the girl group, said Payne had been “so lovely and humble” every time their paths crossed.
“I’ll never forget seeing One Direction on tour for the first time and being instantly drawn to Liam’s stage presence, you could just tell he was made for that stage”, she added.
“Gone way too soon, sending all my love and deepest condolences to his family and everyone close to him.”
JLS star Oritse Williams reflected on the challenges the music industry can bring after being propelled to fame following The X Factor two years before One Direction were formed on the show.
Williams, who first met Payne when the singer auditioned for the singing competition the first time round aged 14, told BBC Breakfast, “I feel with the music industry there isn’t enough duty of care.
“It’s a tough, tough game. You have to have very thick skin, and when you haven’t lived life and been through different trials and tribulations, to go through trials and tribulations whilst being under the spotlight is a very difficult thing and who’s there to support…
“I’ve been through my own trials and tribulations, which has been well documented, and there was nowhere for me to look at, I just had my family and friends and my loved ones to hold me up.
“And I feel like with Liam, it’s the same. He did have, obviously, a beautiful family, but you’re out there alone in this crazy, crazy world where there’s a lot of vultures, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s very, very tough to navigate sometimes.”
He added that during his time on The X Factor he was able to “learn a lot” but he felt you are left “on your own” afterwards and that “nothing prepares you for the pandemonium that ensues”, particularly for someone who experienced superstardom on Payne’s level.
Reflecting on first meeting Payne in 2008, Williams said he was a “ball of energy” with an “electric personality” and a “great voice”.
The JLS star said they went on to have “some really emotional, deep conversations” over the years and he thought of him as a “beautiful soul”.
“He really showed me that he’s not about this famous celebrity life, actually the reason why he was doing what he was doing, and I related to him, was because we both had a passion and a love for singing and music, and what a great singer he was,” he added.
Boyband JLS previously said Payne felt like their “original fifth member” when he auditioned alongside them in 2008 and they “always knew he’d go on to achieve great things”.
“To have lost a brother of ours so young is devastating and we will fondly remember the joy and the hope and the happiness he brought to so many people’s lives”, the group added in a social media post.
Craig Revel Horwood remembered Payne as a “lovely person” and said he thought the singer had a “very bright future” ahead.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, who met the singer when they appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show together, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Thirty-one is just no age and I just hate that.
“He was a lovely, lovely, lovely person backstage, when Shirley (Ballas), Motsi (Mabuse) and myself were on Jonathan Ross with him.
“He was just adorable and he had what I considered a very bright future.
“And someone that young leaving the world so soon or early, before their life has come to fruition.
“I mean, I was 30 when I stopped dancing and then I changed my career entirely. And I just think of myself at that age and the life he could have had ahead of him is, it is frightening, isn’t it?
“And it’s super, super, super sad. So my heart pours out to his family.”
