Ed Sheeran’s Heartfelt Tribute to Liam Payne: “Every Memory I Have with Him is a Great One” After His Tragic Passing at 31

After the tragic death of Liam Payne, Ed Sheeran extended a heartfelt acknowledgment to the former One Direction member, urging everyone to “be kind.”The unfortunate news of Payne’s passing at just 31 years old, following his fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fellow artists and public figures.

On Friday, October 18, Sheeran, 33, shared an emotional post on Instagram expressing his shock at the loss. Along with a touching black-and-white photo of Payne, he conveyed in his message,

“I’m at a loss for words. My heart goes out to his family and all those who loved him. Each memory I shared with Liam is precious; this is such a tragic situation. Remember to be kind. X.”

The Bond Between Liam Payne and Ed Sheeran

Liam Payne's 1D bandmates also paid tribute to him (Image via Mark Davis/DCNYRE2016/Getty Images for dcp) — Liam Payne’s fellow One Direction members also honored him (Image via Mark Davis/DCNYRE2016/Getty Images for dcp)

Previously, Ed Sheeran had also honored Liam by sharing the official announcement of One Direction’s tribute on his Instagram story, punctuated with a red heart emoji on Thursday. Sheeran, who has had a long-standing friendship with Liam and the rest of the One Direction crew, has contributed to several of their tracks.

Among his notable contributions is “Little Things,”One Direction’s chart-topping single from 2012. Five years later, he collaborated with Payne again, co-writing his first solo single, “Strip That Down,”which achieved global success.

Liam had shared his appreciation during a past interview, expressing how “blessed”he felt about Ed’s willingness to work with him. In a 2017 chat with Nick Grimshaw on Radio 1, he remarked,

“I truly feel so fortunate and honored that he chose to write for me. My gratitude goes out to him above all else. It’s incredible, and I’m immensely humbled that he invested his time in this.”

Their collaboration solidified their friendship, which Liam celebrated in another 2017 interview with Z100, describing Ed as a “top boy”and recalling,

“He obviously penned my debut single, and he’s one of the kindest souls you’ll meet. Everyone has either wild party stories or lovely memories with him; I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing both.”

According to a report from The Mirror on October 17, emergency services received a call regarding Liam’s behavior at the hotel. Staff noted he had been acting erratically and reportedly “destroying everything in his room.”Witnesses mentioned that he appeared heavily under the influence of substances.

Concerns were raised about his safety due to the accessibility of the balcony from his room. Tragically, it was moments later that Liam fell from that balcony. Following investigations, authorities confirmed his death, with Buenos Aires public emergency service director Alberto Crescenti stating that his injuries were “incompatible with life.”

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