Horan mourns the death of Payne

“Didn’t know hug was last goodbye”

The last photo of Liam Payne with ex-bandmate Niall Horan was taken in Argentina at the beginning of October.

(Bild: www.viennareport.at)

Niall Horan was the last member of One Direction to comment on the death of Liam Payne with a moving message on Friday. The two had met a few days before the accident at one of his concerts in Argentina.

At the beginning of October, Liam Payne had traveled to Argentina to attend a concert by his ex-bandmate Niall Horan. They met backstage, but a few days later Payne was dead. A huge shock for Horan, as he now admits in a moving message on Instagram.

"Devastated"
"I'm absolutely devastated about the death of my great friend Liam. It just doesn't feel real," the 31-year-old explained in his statement.

He continued: "Liam had a life energy and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the smartest person in any room and always made everyone feel happy and safe. All the laughter we shared over the years, sometimes over the simplest things, keeps coming back to me in all the sadness."

Last hug was "goodbye forever"
Together they could have "lived out our wildest dreams", Horan continued, "and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn't come along very often in life."

This photo was taken a few days before Liam Payne's death. The singer had traveled to Argentina to attend a concert by his ex-bandmate Niall Horan.

(Bild: www.viennareport.at)

The fact that he had met Payne just a few days before his death triggered contradictory feelings in him, Horan admitted. "I'm so happy I got to see him recently. Unfortunately, I had no idea that after saying goodbye and hugging him that night, I would have to say goodbye forever. It's heartbreaking."

Styles mourned the loss of Payne
Before Niall Horan, the other members of One Direction had already expressed their grief on Instagram. Harry Styles, for example, wrote: "The years we spent together will forever be some of the most precious years of my life." The singer emphasized that Payne's greatest joy was making people happy.

"I lost a brother when you left us and I can't explain what I would give to hug you just one last time," Zayn Malik explained on Instagram.

Touching promise
And Louis Tomlinson made a touching promise to Payne's son Bear. "I will be the uncle he needs," the singer explained in his moving statement. He wanted to tell Bear stories about "how great his dad was".

Payne, who rose to worldwide fame with One Direction, died on Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires. The public prosecutor's office has not ruled out the possibility that the balcony fall was preceded by drug abuse. 

If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation or is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the crisis helpline on 142. You can find more crisis helplines and emergency numbers HERE.