Musicians and famous faces have been remembering the singer (31) after police in Argentina said he died falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Payne rose to fame aged 16 as part of One Direction, who went on to become a global sensation after they finished third on The X Factor in 2010.
In a post on Instagram, the Mullingar native said: “It just doesn’t feel real.
“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious.”
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Ed Sheeran urged others to “be kind” as he paid tribute to Payne.
Alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne smiling shared to Instagram, Sheeran wrote: “At a loss for words.
“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heart-breaking situation. Be kind. X”
JLS star Oritse Williams reflected on the challenges the music industry can bring after being propelled to fame following The X Factor two years before One Direction were formed on the show.
Williams, who first met Payne when the singer auditioned for the singing competition the first time round aged 14, told BBC Breakfast, “I feel with the music industry there isn’t enough duty of care.
“It’s a tough, tough game. You have to have very thick skin, and when you haven’t lived life and been through different trials and tribulations, to go through trials and tribulations whilst being under the spotlight is a very difficult thing and who’s there to support…
“I’ve been through my own trials and tribulations, which has been well documented, and there was nowhere for me to look at, I just had my family and friends and my loved ones to hold me up.
“And I feel like with Liam, it’s the same. He did have, obviously, a beautiful family, but you’re out there alone in this crazy, crazy world where there’s a lot of vultures, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s very, very tough to navigate sometimes.”
He added that during his time on The X Factor he was able to “learn a lot” but he felt you are left “on your own” afterwards and that “nothing prepares you for the pandemonium that ensues”, particularly for someone who experienced superstardom on Payne’s level.
Reflecting on first meeting Payne in 2008, Williams said he was a “ball of energy” with an “electric personality” and a “great voice”.
The JLS star said they went on to have “some really emotional, deep conversations” over the years and he thought of him as a “beautiful soul”.
“He really showed me that he’s not about this famous celebrity life, actually the reason why he was doing what he was doing, and I related to him, was because we both had a passion and a love for singing and music, and what a great singer he was,” he added.
Tributes have been paid to Liam Payne (Ian West/PA)
Boyband JLS previously said Payne felt like their “original fifth member” when he auditioned alongside them in 2008 and they “always knew he’d go on to achieve great things”.
“To have lost a brother of ours so young is devastating and we will fondly remember the joy and the hope and the happiness he brought to so many people’s lives”, the group added in a social media post.
“Our hearts go out to his mum and family, his little boy and all those around the world who will miss him so very deeply. Gone way too soon brother, Rest in Peace.”
Craig Revel Horwood remembered Payne as a “lovely person” and said he thought the singer had a “very bright future” ahead.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, who met the singer when they appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show together, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Thirty-one is just no age and I just hate that.
“He was a lovely, lovely, lovely person backstage, when Shirley (Ballas), Motsi (Mabuse) and myself were on Jonathan Ross with him.
“He was just adorable and he had what I considered a very bright future.
“And someone that young leaving the world so soon or early, before their life has come to fruition.
“I mean, I was 30 when I stopped dancing and then I changed my career entirely. And I just think of myself at that age and the life he could have had ahead of him is, it is frightening, isn’t it?
“And it’s super, super, super sad. So my heart pours out to his family.”
