Both within the band and outside, the pop star struggled to find his defining identity, he writes The independentby Mark Beaumont. Attempts to tell the world who he is with a second solo album and a documentary fell on deaf ears. His life has now been tragically cut short and the singer may remain elusive forever.

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Camila Cabello, the 27-year-old Cuban-born pop star who rose to fame as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, recalls the impact Payne had on her when they first met.

Cabello wrote on her Instagram Stories: “thank you Liam for all the joy you brought to my friends and me. it really impressed me as a young girl to meet a member of a group that I loved and for him to be so nice. It is a tragedy that he passed away far too soon.”

Harry Styles posted a personal message on his Instagram page, paying tribute to Payne.

“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” he wrote.

“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to stand next to him as he did that.

“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had a life energy that was contagious. He was warm, supportive and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever be some of the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my dear friend.

“My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear and everyone around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”

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Zayn Malik remembered Payne on his Instagram page and shared a sweet photo of himself sleeping in Payne’s lap on a tour bus, with Payne also asleep on top of him.

Malik captioned the image: “Love You Bro”

In a statement on another slide, Malik wrote: “Liam, I find myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me. I can’t help but selfishly think that there were so many more conversations we could have had in our lives.

“I could never thank you for your support during the most difficult times of my life. When I was missing home as a 17-year-old child, you were always there with a positive attitude and a reassuring smile, letting me know that you were my friend and that I was loved.

“Even though you were younger than me, you were always wiser than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and didn’t give a fuck about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we have butted heads a few times over this, I have always secretly respected you for it.

“When it came to Liam’s music, you were the most qualified in every way. I knew nothing in comparison. I was a novice kid with no experience and you were already a professional.

“I was always happy to know that no matter what happened on stage, we could always rely on you to know which way to turn the ship next.

‘I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t explain to you what I would give if I could hug you one last time and say goodbye to you in a proper way and tell you that I love you very much you loved and you respected. I will forever hold all the memories I have with you in my heart, there are no words that can justify or explain how I feel right now other than the fact that I am devastated. I hope you are doing well wherever you are now, that you are at peace and that you know how loved you are. I love you brother”

Following the official joint One Direction statement earlier, Louis Tomlinson has shared a heartfelt personal message on his Instagram.

Tomlinson wrote: “I’m devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was someone I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny and kind soul.

“I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18. I was immediately amazed by his voice, but more importantly, as time passed, I had the opportunity to see the kind brother I had longed for my entire life. Liam was an incredible songwriter with a great sense of melody. We often talked about getting back into the studio together to try to recreate the writing chemistry we had built in the band. And just to be clear, Liam was, in my opinion, the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.

“A message for you, Liam, if you’re listening. I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life, but I’m really struggling with the idea of ​​saying goodbye. I am so grateful that we have become even closer since bonding, talking on the phone for hours and reminiscing about all the thousands of wonderful memories we had together is a luxury I thought I would have with you for life. I would have liked to share the stage with you again, but that was not to be. I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me, I will be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories about how great his dad was. I wish I had the chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you buddy. Sleep well X”

In a statement signed ‘Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry’, Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates said: ‘We are completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.

“Over time, and when everyone is able to do so, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be cherished forever.

“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly.

Jodie Richards, a close friend of Payne’s who taught him at her performing arts company Pink Productions in Wolverhampton, has revealed the messages he sent her just hours before his death.

Richards said there was nothing unusual about the messages, with Payne checking in on what she was up to and sending a photo of him in his hotel room.

“I have a really good relationship with Liam, we’ve been friends for years and he was away in Argentina yesterday and I think he just wanted to check on me and see how everyone was back home.” she told Sky News.

“We speak close enough every day and have been doing so for years. It’s clear that he’s always been there when I needed him, even though he’s not from around here.”

“He was looking forward to his day, he said he was cold, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

The 41-year-old added: “He seemed fine, he looked happy, he looked healthy – no reason for any concern and then obviously I heard it on the news.”

She said her first reaction was disbelief. “I thought it was fake news, I tried to call him,” she said. ‘He obviously didn’t answer. I tried texting him but it didn’t go to a ‘read’ message – normally that happens quite quickly, but as I turned on the TV it became increasingly clear that it wasn’t fake.

Both within the band and outside, the pop star struggled to find his defining identity, writes Mark Beaumont. Attempts to tell the world who he is with a second solo album and a documentary fell on deaf ears. His life has now been tragically cut short and the singer may remain elusive forever