Niall Horan devastated by former One Direction member Liam Payne's death: 'Doesn't feel real'

Niall Horan is shocked and deeply saddened by the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne. The singer took to his official social media handle on Friday (Oct 18) to talk about the loss. The Irish singer called the Strip That Down hitmaker an "amazing friend" and "brother" while opening up about his disbelief over his sudden death.

Taking to Instagram, Horan wrote, “I'm absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn't feel real.” For those unaware, Payne died after falling from the balcony of his hotel in Argentina on Wednesday.

"Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure,” he added. "All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness." 

 

 

 

 

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"We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime," he continued.

"I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn't know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever," Horan went on.

He concluded his emotional statement, saying, "It's heartbreaking. My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth, Nicola, and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother."

One Direction consisted of four members: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. They disbanded in 2016 and embarked on their solo careers.