Louis Tomlinson promises to be uncle to Liam Payne’s son following his death

Louis Tomlinson has vowed to be an uncle to the son of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne after the singer died aged 31, promising to tell him “stories of how amazing his dad was”.

Payne, who rose to fame with the boy band on The X Factor, died after falling from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires Wednesday.

He leaves behind his seven-year-old son named Bear who he shared with his former partner, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” as a result of the hotel fall, a post-mortem examination report said.

A press release from Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it would be investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” after the report.

In a statement issued via a spokeswoman, Payne’s family told the PA news agency they were “heartbroken” and added: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”

Payne’s One Direction bandmates said they are “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”.

A joint statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Tomlinson said the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”, adding they will be taking “some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother”.

In a separate statement, Tomlinson described Payne as “the most vital part of One Direction”, describing his “perfect pitch, his stage presence, (and) his gift for writing”.

“I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life,” he said.

“I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”

Tomlinson said he and Payne had planned to get “back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band”, adding that he wished he had the “chance to say goodbye” to “one of my best friends”.

Both Tomlinson and Malik said they had “lost a brother” in separate statements on Instagram.

Malik, who left the band in 2015 citing the need “some private time out of the spotlight” before embarking on a solo career, thanked Payne for “supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life”.

“When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved,” he said.

Malik said he “butted heads” with Payne at times because he was “headstrong” and “opinionated”, but “always secretly respected” him for it.

“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated,” he added.

After Payne’s death, five witnesses were questioned in order to reconstruct what happened, the prosecutor’s office said.

Police in the capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken”, adding that a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone had been retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payne’s body was found.

Famous faces from across the music industry paid tribute to the singer, who embarked on a solo career after One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall said Payne was the “first friend I made in this industry”, while JLS member Marvin Humes said he had “instantly clicked” with the star when they first met in 2008, adding that the band had taken him under their wing on The X Factor.

One Direction fans mourned his death at a vigil in Argentina where they lit candles and laid flowers.

The band, without Malik, appeared on The Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke segment with James Corden, raking in in more than 200 million views on YouTube.

Gavin And Stacey co-creator Corden said in a social media post that Payne “was such a loving and kind soul”, adding: “I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him.”

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

One of his most famous songs, For You, was a collaboration between him and the singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.

Hours after his death, Ora sang their song while an image of the pair was projected on to the screen behind her during a performance in Osaka, Japan.