5 Seconds of Summer Members Are ‘Heartbroken’ About Liam Payne’s Death: ‘Devastated the World Put That Light Out’

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5 Seconds of Summer Members Are ‘Heartbroken’ About Liam Payne’s Death: ‘Devastated the World Put That Light Out’

 

Two days after Payne died at age 31, the band shared a joint statement on Friday, Oct. 18, on the 5SOS Instagram Stories, writing that they were “heartbroken” and “devastated” by their friend’s passing.

“We love you, Liam, and we will never forget the influence you had on our lives,” read the post from Michael Clifford, 28, Luke Hemmings, 28, Ashton Irwin, 30, and Calum Hood, 28. “You truly believed in us for that we are forever grateful. We don’t know if we thanked you enough.”

“You were always so kind to us. It was an honor to begin our journey with you, we will never forget your presence in our lives,” the band continued. “There was such a bright light in you, we always saw that. We are so devastated the world put that light out.”

The group also shared a photo of all 9 members of both One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer posing together backstage at a concert.

The group concluded its post: “We hope you’ll always be singing up there,” before signing their first names alongside the phrase, “With all of our love.”

5 Seconds of Summer first garnered international attention just two years after its formation when One Direction invited them to open for their Take Me Home Tour in 2013, the boy band’s second worldwide tour, after One Direction member Louis Tomlinson discovered them on YouTube.

The Australian band went on to open for One Direction again during the Where We Are Tour in 2014, playing dates in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Europe. At one point in 2013, Payne and Tomlinson were business associates with 5SOS, per Billboard, although the pair later resigned from the band’s production company in 2015.

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On Oct. 16, Payne was pronounced dead after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE. Argentine news channel TN was first to report the news.

In a statement translated from Spanish, Alberto Crescenti (the head of SAME, Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical services system) told TN that the British artist fell into the hotel’s internal courtyard.

Payne’s friends, family members and fellow musicians have opened up about their relationships with the singer since his death, including the other members of One Direction, his ex Cheryl — with whom he shared 7-year-old son Bear, and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, the surviving band members — including Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malikand Niall Horan — shared a joint statement on Instagram that said they are processing “the loss of our brother.”

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the post began. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”

The statement continued, in part: “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.”

PEOPLE