Zayn Malik 'Beyond Devastated' Following One Direction Bandmate Liam Payne's Death: 'I Loved and Respected You Dearly'

Zayn Malik is “more depressed” after the death of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, October 16, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE. He was 31 years old.

“Liam, I found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you could hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there were so many more conversations we should have had in our lives. I never got around to thanking you for your support through some of the hardest times in my life,” he captioned a candid photo of the two of them as teenagers.

“When I was missing home as a 17-year-old kid, you would always be there with a positive attitude and an encouraging smile, letting me know that you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me, you were always smarter than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and not sorry to tell people when they were wrong, even though we butted heads a few times over it, I always secretly respected you for it.”

Zayn Malik Instagram tribute to Liam Payne.

zayn/Instagram

Malik continued: “When it comes to music, Liam, you were the most qualified in every way. I knew nothing compared to that, I was a kid with no experience and you were already a pro. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage, we can always count on you to know which way to steer the ship.”

“I lost my brother when you left us and I can’t explain what I would give to just hug you one last time and say goodbye to you and tell you that I loved and respected you very much,” he wrote. “I will forever cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart, there are no words to justify or explain how I feel right now other than I am beyond devastated.”

Malik concluded: “I hope that wherever you are right now, you are well and at peace and know how much you are loved. I love you brother.”

Payne and Malik met as teenagers when they auditioned for a reality singing competition The X factor in 2010.

They initially auditioned as soloists, but Simon Cowell teamed them up with Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction.

One Direction in London in October 2011.

Dave Hogan/Getty

Although they did not win the series, One Direction became one of the best-selling boy bands of the 2010s before Malik left the group in 2015 and the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 as each member pursued solo opportunities.

Payne and Malik have had a complicated relationship over the years.

In an interview with Jake Paul in June 2022, Payne said he explained that he “didn’t like” Malik, but that he would “always be on his side.

“There are many reasons why I don’t like Zayn and there are many reasons why I will always, always be on his side,” Payne said at the time. “If I had to go through what he went through – with him growing up and whatever… My parents are overly supportive to the point where it’s sometimes irritating. Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”

“What I can say is that I understand and your only hope is that at some point in their life the person on the other end of the phone wants to receive the help that you are willing to give them,” Payne concluded.

Liam Payne; Zayn Malik.

Ian West/PA Images via Getty; Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty

A year later, in July 2023, Payne clarified his previous comments about Malik.

“A lot of what I said came from the wrong place,” Payne said in a YouTube video about his sobriety, “I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of looking inward, I decided to look outward at everybody else and I were lashing out at everyone else, which is actually wrong.”

Payne has previously spoken about how he drank to cope with fame and constant gigs.

He is survived by his family and a 7-year-old son, Bear Gray, who he shared with his ex Cheryl.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: HIS Education