Friends, collaborators and music icons are sharing social media tributes to Liam Payne, the former founding member of boy band One Direction, who was found dead Wednesday in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne, who fell from the third floor of a hotel, was 31 years old.
The British singer was famously discovered on The X Factor in 2010 and placed in the platinum-selling boy band alongside Harry Styles, whose mother, Anne Twist, shared a broken heart emoji on Instagram with the caption: “Just a boy …”
While countless fans gathered to mourn his death outside the hotel where Payne had been staying, those closest to him — including friend and former collaborator Charlie Puth — took to their social media accounts to pay tribute.
“I am in shock right now,” wrote Puth, who worked with Payne on 2017’s “Bedroom Floor,” in an Instagram Story on Wednesday. “Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone…”
“I am so upset right now,” he added over an old video of them together, “may he rest in peace.”
Payne publicly struggled with the stratospheric fame he found as a teenager, but despite One Direction going on an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, he found success as a solo artist — releasing chart hits with rappers Quavo, Juicy J and A Boogie With a Hoodie.
“R.I.P. Liam Payne wow I can’t believe it,” Juicy J shared on X, “prayers up for the family.”
Payne only recently acknowledged his struggle with alcoholism and announced last July that he’d sought out treatment and was sober for six months. Even those he hadn’t worked with professionally, including fellow boy band Backstreet Boys, are paying tribute.
“Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat,” the group wrote Wednesday on X. “Our hearts go out to Liam’s family, friends, and Directioners around the world. Rest in peace brother.”
Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear the news, and that it “was a pleasure to work with him” on their “X Factor” performance. “God bless Liam,” added Wood, “thinking of all his loved ones.”
While his former bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Styles have yet to publicly comment, Payne received tributes from all corners of music and entertainment — including Public Enemy alum Flavor Flav, German DJ Zedd and hotel heiress Paris Hilton.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, parents and two older sisters.