Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates are “completely devastated” by his death, they said in a statement on the boy band’s Instagram account Thursday, one day after Payne’s death at an Argentina hotel.
“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,” Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles said in the joint statement.
They added that the memories they shared “will be treasured forever.”
“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us,” the statement said. “We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
One Direction shot to international stardom after forming on “The X Factor” in 2010. The group has been on indefinite hiatus since 2016. Malik left the band before the group went on hiatus.
Since their split, the band members have each embarked on solo careers. Payne signed with Republic Records in 2016.
One Direction sold more than 50 million records total throughout their stint in the spotlight, and in 2014, it became the first group to have its first four albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, according to Billboard.
Payne, 31, died Wednesday after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, local authorities said.
Sistema de Atencion Medica de Emergencia (SAME), the emergency health service, said that Payne fell from the balcony in Palermo.
Police were called to the hotel for reports of an aggressive man, according to the emergency services agency, which later confirmed Payne’s death.
Hotel staff made the emergency call to report destructive behavior after someone had “overindulged on drugs and alcohol,” according to a transcript of the call made Wednesday that did not name Payne.
The caller said police were needed “urgently” because the subject of the call was at risk. The caller added that subject was in a room with a balcony and “we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said, according to audio obtained via local media by Telemundo.
Payne was found minutes after the 911 call, and, when paramedics found him, there was no possibility of resuscitation, officials said.
An autopsy determined Payne had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said.
The office added that the autopsy findings indicate Payne “could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”
A number of substances were found in Payne’s hotel room, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, which would prove alcohol and drug consumption. The office said Payne was alone when he fell.
Representatives for Payne have not responded to NBC News’ request for comment.
