One Direction member Liam Payne’s sister shared a heartfelt message for him on Saturday, the latest touching tribute from around the world following his death earlier this week.
In a statement addressed directly to her late brother, who died in Argentina on Wednesday, Ruth Gibbins said she did not think “this world was very good or kind to you”.
“My mind is struggling to understand what’s happening and I can’t understand where you went,” she posted on Instagram.
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“Often over the last few years, you’ve had to work really hard to overcome all the things that were being aimed at you.
He added, “You just wanted to be loved and make people happy with your music.”
On Friday, Liam Payne’s father visited the Buenos Aires hotel where his son died after falling from a third-floor balcony two days earlier, and thanked fans gathered nearby in a shared moment of grief.
After landing in the Argentinian capital that morning, Geoff Payne also visited the morgue where his 31-year-old son’s body was being kept pending the results of toxicology tests.
Meanwhile the reactions continued to pour in, including from Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, Payne’s former partner and mother of his seven-year-old boy, Bear.
He called his death an “earth-shattering event.”
In a social media message, Tweedy attacked the “disgusting reports and media exploitation” following Payne’s passing, which were “doing more harm to all those left after picking up the pieces”.
“Before leaving comments or making videos, ask yourself if you would want your child or family to read them,” she said.
“Please give Liam what little dignity he has left after his death, to finally find some peace.”
An autopsy found that Payne died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding” after falling from the balcony of his room at the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires.
Investigators said it appeared he was “going through a period of substance abuse.”
Others paying tribute on Friday included Simon Cowell, creator and judge on “The X Factor” show which launched One Direction in 2010.
Cowell said in an Instagram post that he was “truly devastated” and also spoke directly to Payne.
He said, “I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you.”
“I’ve seen you spend so much time with people who wanted to meet you. You really cared.”
Cowell said that a meeting with Payne last year reminded him that “you’re still the same sweet, kind boy I met all those years ago.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
