Liam Payne’s sister Nicola Payne learned of his death the way many people did: through a news alert on her phone.
“When I saw the news pop up on my phone that you had left us I went cold,” she said Monday in a tribute to her late brother. “I have spent days hoping that it was a mistake and somebody has got it wrong.”
Liam Payne, who was best known as a member of the boy band One Direction, died Wednesday evening after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine officials announced Thursday. The 31-year-old succumbed to injuries suffered on impact.
“You were truly too good for this earth, you are an angel who just lived for making people smile and happy,” Nicola said in her tribute, adding that those who affectionately memorialized Liam “confirmed what we always knew.”
Nicola included a carousel of family photos, which she said were scarce because Liam’s family members “never wanted you to feel like you were in a room of fans.”
“But we were your biggest fans now and forever,” she said. Recalling how excited Liam had been to meet her daughter — his niece — Nicola promised to make sure his 7-year-old son Bear “knows about his daddy and how much you loved him.”
In her statement, Nicola also alluded to the controversy that surrounded the singer prior to his death. Since One Direction’s disbandment, Liam has been scrutinized for questionable claims he made about his role in the band as well as for alleged obsessive behavior in a past relationship.
“Unfortunately this cruel world is always to [sic] quick to judge someone from a few 5 second clips, they then think it entitles them to be able to speak like they know you,” Nicola said. “We knew you and we loved you.”
In addition to Nicola, 36, Liam has another older sister, Ruth Gibbins, 33, who mourned his loss Saturday on Instagram.
“I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you. You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music,” Gibbins said in her post.
“You never believed you were good enough, I hope you can now see this outpouring of love that you never received in your time,” she said.
Investigations into Liam’s death so far have revealed that the “Polaroid” singer appeared to be alone and under the influence of drugs when he fell, Argentine officials said Thursday. Local police who surveyed his hotel room noted “various destroyed objects and furniture,” including a smashed TV screen, in addition to the drugs and alcohol.
Medical examiners last week requested a toxicology report, the preliminary results of which were reported Monday by ABC News, which cited unidentified sources.
According to the outlet, a partial autopsy found that at the time of his fall, Liam had multiple substances in his system including “pink cocaine,” a popular party drug that typically is a mix of ketamine, methamphetamine and MDMA — and sometimes cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.
An improvised aluminum pipe to ingest drugs was also found in Liam’s hotel room, the outlet reported. His body will remain in Argentina until the autopsy is complete.