Heartbreaking

Louis Tomlinson makes a promise to Liam Payne’s son

Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson making a heartbreaking promise to the deceased's son.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Joe Giddens / PA)

The music world is in shock: Liam Payne, former member of the world-famous band One Direction, has died at the age of just 31. He is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear from his relationship with Cheryl Cole. Payne's colleague Louis Tomlinson makes a heartbreaking promise to Bear.

The singer died after a tragic fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. The news of his sudden death shocked not only fans worldwide, but also his former bandmates, who had grown together like a family. "We are completely devastated by Liam's death," read a joint statement from Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

"Will be the uncle he needs"
Tomlinson was particularly emotional in his own obituary on his Instagram account. In it, Tomlinson promises to look after Payne's seven-year-old son Bear. "I will be the uncle he needs," the singer explained in his moving statement. He wants to tell Bear stories about "how great his dad was".

Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson making a heartbreaking promise to the deceased's son.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Joe Giddens / PA)

Deep grief
Tomlinson and Payne had been close friends since they were cast together for One Direction at a young age. "I'm beyond devastated to write this, but yesterday I lost a brother," he began. Liam Payne had been someone he looked up to every day, a "positive, funny and kind soul".

He recalled their first meeting when Payne was 16 and he himself was 18. "I was immediately struck by his voice, but more importantly, in time, I had the chance to see the dear brother I had longed for all my life," Tomlinson wrote.

In his tribute, he also paid tribute to Payne's musical talent: "Liam was an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody." They had often talked about going back into the studio together to rekindle the chemistry they had built up in the band.

"And for the record, Liam was the most important part of One Direction in my opinion," Tomlinson added. "His experience, his perfect pitch and his stage presence - he shaped us."

Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Harry Styles

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Ian West / PA)

"Best friend and brother"
Directly to Liam, Tomlinson wrote: "I feel more than lucky to have had you in my life, but I'm really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye." He said he was grateful that the band members had recently become closer again. They had spent hours on the phone together and reminisced about their time together. "A luxury I thought I would share with you for a lifetime," Tomlinson wrote, emphasizing how much he would have loved to be on stage with Payne again.

Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother - love you buddy. Sleep tight.

Louis Tomlinson

He ended his tribute with the affectionate words: "Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother - love you buddy. Sleep well. X"

The British singer died of polytrauma and bleeding after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires. This was the conclusion of the autopsy, the public prosecutor's office announced. Further investigations will be carried out to confirm evidence of drug and alcohol consumption before the fall.