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One Direction released a joint statement on Instagram on Thursday night, October 17, stating that they were "completely devastated" by the death of Liam Payne on Wednesday, October 16, at the age of 31.
In a joint Instagram message, the remaining members of the Group—Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson—stated that they are grieving "the loss of our brother."
"We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing," they stated. There will be more to say when everyone has the time to do so. However, for the time being, we will take some time to mourn and come to terms with the loss of our beloved brother."
The statement continued: "The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. 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."
Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger formed One Direction, which includes Styles, Malik, Tomlinson, Horan, and Payne, during season 7 of The X Factor U.K.
While the group did not win their season, they went on to become one of the world's most successful boy bands, dominating pop culture in the early 2010s.
On Wednesday, October 16, Payne was confirmed dead after falling multiple storeys from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In a statement translated from Spanish, Alberto Crescenti (the head of SAME, Buenos Aires' public emergency medical services system) told TN that the British artiste fell into the hotel's patio.
According to a preliminary autopsy report, Payne died of various injuries and "internal and external" hemorrhages after falling from his hotel balcony.
