One Direction release heartfelt statement on Liam Payne’s death: ‘We will miss him terribly’

nypost.com:

Liam Payne’s tragic death at 31. “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson wrote in a statement shared to Instagram Thursday. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.

But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” they continued. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam. Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”Payne first rose to fame alongside Malik, Styles, Horan and Tomlinson after the group was formed on “The X Factor” in 2010.

Payne auditioned for the UK singing competition series in 2008, where he met his future girlfriend, Cheryl Cole. The pair dated from 2016 to 2018 and shared a seven-year-old son named Bear.Cole, 41, was one of the judges alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh who watched a then-14-year-old Payne audition for the show for the first time.“When I’m at school, in general, I think about singing all the time,” Payne told producers before his audition. “I should really be concentrating on my work, but I just think about singing too much.