Zedd, Paris Hilton, Charlie Puth Among Those Paying Tribute to Liam Payne: “I Can Not Believe He Is Gone”
Charlie Puth, DJ Zedd, Paris Hilton and Juicy J are among the celebrities paying tribute to Liam Payne, who died tragically on Wednesday at 31.
The former One Direction member fell from the balcony on the third floor of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to state police, per ABC and CNN.
He was best known for his work in the boy band, made up of Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. He went on to have a fairly successful solo music career after leaving the band in 2016. Payne’s debut single, “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo, was released that year. He also collaborated with artists such as DJ Zedd and J Balvin.
“I am in shock right now,” Charlie Puth wrote on his Instagram Story. “Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.” He shared a video of the two artists when they were young with the words “I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace. I am so sorry.”
Zedd, whom Payne collaborated with on 2017’s “Get Low,” shared his own tribute, writing “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking …”
“So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing,” Paris Hilton tweeted. “Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.”
Rapper Ty Dolla Sign wrote on his Instagram story above a video of Payne, “Just talked to you 2 days ago my guy. Ima miss u frfr.”
Lou Teasdale, One Direction’s former hairdresser, wrote on Twitter, “sending you all so much love.”
“This all feels so surreal,” One Direction guitarist Dan Richards wrote on social media. “Thanks to everyone reaching out. Still trying to wrap my head around it all. My thoughts go out to Liam’s family at this time.”
Read more tributes to Payne below.