Nicola Payne is breaking her silence on her brother Liam Payne’s death.
“When I saw the news pop up on my phone that you had left us I went cold, I wanted to so much for this to be untrue,” Nicola wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement on Monday, October 21. “I have spent days hoping that it was a mistake and somebody has got it wrong. You were truly too good for this earth, you are an angel who just lived for making people smile and happy. You have always shown kindness to everyone you met and it shows with just how many people have confirmed what we always knew!”
Noting that their family didn’t have enough family photos (she shared a few snaps in the Instagram post), she wrote that they were always his “biggest fans.” She continued: “Your talent alone puts you miles ahead, but also you being you.”
Nicola went on to note that Liam always led his life “with a motto of why bother doing something unless you are brilliant at it, and Liam you were certainly brilliant at everything you did!!” She added: “Unfortunately this cruel world is always [too] quick to judge someone from a few 5 second clips, they then think it entitles them to be able to speak like they know you. We knew you and we loved you.”
Nicola concluded her message by stating she hopes her late brother “finally found peace up there and that you’ll continue to look after us all as well as you have done in life.” She also promised to “make sure Bear knows about his daddy and how much you loved him.” (Liam shared his 7-year-old son with ex Cheryl Cole.)
Nicola’s post included tour images of Liam with his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
Us Weekly confirmed that Payne had died at age 31 on Wednesday, October 16. The musician suffered “serious injuries” after falling from a third-story balcony at a Bueno Aires, Argentina, hotel, per Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti.
According to a 911 call from the day of Liam’s death, a hotel receptionist called police to report a guest who was “high on drugs” and was “trashing” their room. The receptionist noted that the guest “may be in danger,” per the BBC. (Liam revealed last year that he was 100 days sober after a stint in rehab.)
Police discovered alcohol, drugs and broken items in Liam’s hotel room, per Reuters, while a guest told People they heard “a really loud, violent scream” before Liam’s death. An early autopsy report obtained by Us revealed that Liam died of several injuries, including “multiple traumas” and “internal and external hemorrhage,” that were not caused by “third parties.”
The report also stated that Liam “did not adopt a reflective posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”
Liam’s family said they were “heartbroken” by news of his death in a statement to the BBC on Thursday, October 17. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” their message continued. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Liam was the youngest of Karen and Geoff Payne’s three children, including Nicola and his sister Ruth. Geoff viewed tributes left by fans while visiting the site of his son’s death on Friday, October 18. One day later, Ruth took to Instagram to honor her late brother.
“I don’t believe this is happening,” she wrote on Saturday, October 19. “Many times have I poured my heart out publicly with pride about Liam but never much about life as his sister.”
Calling Liam her “best friend,” Ruth recalled driving him around during his time on The X-Factor UK and in the early days of One Direction. She also praised his music ability, stating, “I could sit and listen to him sing all day, which is a good job because he never bloody stopped!”
She concluded her heartbreaking message by writing, “Thank you for changing my life, thank you for the incredible memories, thank you for being the best brother and friend I’ll ever have! We’ll take care of Bear and he will always know how incredible his Dad is and how much you idolize him. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
Like her sister, Ruth accompanied her statement with several photos of herself and Liam from over the years.
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