Image source, PA Media

The members of One Direction have paid tribute to their bandmate, Liam Payne, saying they are "completely devastated" and "the memories we shared with him will be treasured forever".

In a statement signed by Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, they said: "In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say".

The 31-year-old died after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Argentina on Wednesday.

Earlier Payne's family said they were "heartbroken" as they paid tribute to a "kind, funny and brave soul", after his death.

We'll be ending our live coverage shortly, but you can continue to read more about him, including tributes to the star.

We also have a story about the final Snapchats Payne shared in Argentina

There is also an obituary on the boy band star who had the X factor

And a video of fans reacting to his death

Thanks for following along.

Another one of Payne's former bandmates has posted a tribute, with Zayn Malik saying on Instagram that he is "beyond devastated".

"I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly," Malik says in a post alongside a picture of him and Payne, taken when the two were younger.

"Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me," Malik says, reminiscing on their time together as teenagers. He says Payne was always the "more sensible" one and "the most qualified" musically.

"I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever," he adds. "Love you bro."

Payne's One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson has also posted an individual tribute on his Instagram page, saying that he has "lost a brother".

"I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18. I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I'd longed all my life for," he writes on the social media site.

For the record, he says, "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."

He goes on to say that if Payne's son Bear - who he shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy - "ever needs me I will be the uncle he needs in his life".

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Payne's former One Direction bandmates have published a joint statement after the pop star's death in Argentina on Wednesday.

Another celebrity has shared a tribute to Liam Payne. James Corden has described the pop star as someone who had "such a loving and kind soul".

In an Instagram post, Cordon said: "Talking about Liam in the past tense is utterly heart-breaking.

"I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him. "My thoughts are with his family today x."

Payne had appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show when Corden was presenting.

In December 2015, Payne - along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - joined Corden for his Carpool Karaoke through Los Angeles singing some of their biggest songs.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

More tributes are coming in to Liam Payne, with singer Rita Ora saying his death "breaks my heart".

The pair collaborated on the song For You, part of the soundtrack for the film Fifty Shades Freed.

On X, she writes: "I'm devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much - he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage."

On Instagram, former Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful calls Payne "a true friend", describing him as: "One of the most loyal, sensitive, dynamic, funny and unique people I ever had the good fortune to meet."

Former Love Island host Laura Whitmore describes Payne as "always so lovely and giving of his time".

"Sometimes we forget people in the public eye are real people with real feelings," she adds.

As tributes pour in for Liam Payne, we're taking a look back on moments from the course of his career.

The pop star rose to fame alongside the boy band One Direction, and catapulted to fame following the group's appearance on X Factor.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

On Wednesday night, police were called to a hotel in an upscale neighbourhood of Palermo in Argentina, where former One Direction star Liam Payne was reported to be staying.

From Payne's recent Snapchat stories, shared in the days before he died, we know that the pop star had stopped over at a "friend’s house" in Argentina with his girlfriend - influencer Kate Cassidy.

The pair were in the country to watch Payne's former bandmate Niall Horan tour his concert The Show in front of fans at an arena in Argentina.

Despite starting an indefinite hiatus in 2015, the members of the One Direction had remained friendly, and Payne had told his Snapchat followers earlier this month that he was making the trip to Argentina for a catch up.

"It's been a while since me and Niall have spoken, we've got a lot to talk about," he says in the video.

"No bad vibes or anything like that, but we need to talk."

After flying over to South America, videos shared on social media then show Payne and his girlfriend dancing and singing along as he watches his friend perform.

It is not clear how long exactly Payne had been staying in the hotel in Palermo, though a transcript of a call made by reception staff to emergency services suggest the 31 year-old had been there for "two or three days".

By the time Payne fell on Wednesday night, Cassidy had already left the country.

We've just seen a report from the Buenos Aires attorney general's office detailing what investigators have learned so far about the death of One Direction star Liam Payne.

The report says that while Payne's death is being investigated as "suspicious" because of local protocols, evidence suggests that he was alone in his hotel room at the time of the incident.

Here's what else we have learned from the report:

• Investigators are questioning five witnesses, including three hotel employees and two women who had been in Payne's room before he fell
• Drugs and alcohol were found in the musician's hotel room, and authorities say he was having a substance-related "episode" before emergency services arrived
• Authorities will be carrying out a thorough examination, and will be performing toxicology tests
• An initial post-mortem shows that the star suffered 25 injuries from his fall. Investigators say that all of the injuries are consistent with a fall from a height, and added he may have been fully or partially unconscious when he fell

We'll bring you more information from Buenos Aires as we receive it. Stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Payne took part in two editions of the annual charity football match Soccer Aid for Unicef and the organisation says it is "devastated" to learn of his death.

"Thank you for everything you did to help support children around the world, Liam," it says in a statement.

Payne's philanthropy has also been praised by the head of the food bank organisation Trussell who says she and her colleagues are "extremely saddened" by the news.

Emma Revie describes the singer as a "generous supporter" who helped fund more than 360,000 meals during the Covid-19 pandemic and publicised their cause.

Emma Pengelly
BBC News

Agustina Carrasco, 25, who lives with her boyfriend Christopher just 800m from where Liam was staying, said One Direction became famous in Argentina even though X Factor was never broadcast there.

“We couldn’t get the UK X Factor here, but as as soon as it was over, all the footage made it to us through YouTube. We watched all of X Factor - just not live."

Augustina said she remembered the rush to buy tickets when One Direction had their only concert in Argentina in 2014.

"As soon as they broke up everyone was so heartbroken, but I think the fandom for them when they went solo just continued," she says.

Noor Nanji
BBC News Culture reporter

On the face of it, Liam Payne had it all.

But – like for so many who rise to prominence at an early age – his fame came at a cost.

He struggled with his mental health and an addiction to alcohol.

Speaking on a podcast in 2021, he admitted to partying alone in his hotel room – with just the mini-bar for company – while on tour.

Last year, he posted a video to his YouTube account, saying he had spent time in rehab.

He also discussed his efforts to stop drinking: "I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognise anymore. And I'm sure you guys didn't either."

Emma Pengelly
BBC News

Christopher Martin, 31, lives about 800m from the hotel where Liam Payne died in Palermo, Buenos Aires.

He and his girlfriend went to the scene at 18:20 local time when Christopher says he found 50 to 100 people already there. Most of them appeared to be fans, others were passers-by who had stopped to look at the police scene, he tells the BBC.

Christopher, a freelance journalist from Cornwall, has been living and working on and off in Argentina since 2018. He moved to Argentina permanently in 2022.

"It was all on the news very fast here, we learned not only had he fallen but he’d also died.

"I couldn’t find anything in the western press about it.

"At about 18:20 we [Christopher and his girlfriend] rushed over, me with my journalist hat on really", he says.

“It was definitely a strange mood in the air, everybody knew something had happened but nobody was talking loudly or extensively about it."

Image source, Getty Images

Singer and DJ Marvin Humes has joined the floods of tributes pouring in in memory of former One Direction member Liam Payne.

Humes says he met the popstar when his own band, JLS, auditioned for The X Factor in 2008: "We just instantly clicked, you know?

"We kinda took him in under our wing and always joked he was like the fifth member of the band and we just got on so well." Payne ultimately wasn't selected that year but re-auditioned in 2010, becoming a member of One Direction.

Humes offered his condolences to Liam's family, including his son Bear, as he says he is "super proud" of Payne's legacy.

"I take comfort in the fact that Liam really achieved his dreams beyond his wildest dreams and had an incredible career," he adds.

Ione Wells
Reporting from the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires

Police in Buenos Aires have said a preliminary autopsy suggests Liam Payne died from external and internal bleeding injuries.

Jasmine Sandhar
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Kitty Williams

Social media was the epicentre of One Direction’s dominance as a global phenomenon, with thousands of accounts devoted entirely to them.

One of the many who ran a Twitter account dedicated to her love for the band is 25-year-old Kitty Williams.

She tells BBC Newsbeat that one of her followers was Liam Payne himself.

“I would be on there every day updating the world about One Direction,” she says

“Everything in my life was One Direction at a time when social media and Twitter was just starting.”

While Kitty reflects on the band’s success, it’s inevitably Liam she’s thinking about most today.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an active supporter of their music now or not,” she says.

“It’s just such a loss for everyone from a generation that grew up with One Direction.”

Ione Wells
Reporting from the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires

Image source, BBC/Ione Wells

Liam Payne’s struggles were no secret.

Many of the tributes paid here at the hotel where he died seem to reference this.

One says he helped others who were going through a lot, through his music and public profile.

Another one reads: “Thank you for saving my life. And I’m sorry I couldn’t do the same for yours.”

One of Liam Payne's neighbours in Buckinghamshire has described the singer as "the most down to earth and helpful guy".

Thomas Evans, 17, tells the PA news agency the singer came out of his house in the early hours of the morning about six months ago to check on him and his siblings after they had an intruder on their property.

He says: "At about half past 2am, we saw a shadow through the window and realised there was an intruder on our driveway. There was quite a commotion.

"Liam just heard some kids shouting and, bless him, he came over. He didn't have to."

He adds: "He had a full on top hat, an overcoat, and chequered trousers. He told us, 'I heard some shouting and screaming, are you okay?' We called the police and he stayed with us until they arrived. We had small talk, just to calm us down."

"That's just one example of him being a really nice guy."

Image source, EPA

As investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding Liam Payne's death, here's what we know so far:

• Police say Payne fell from a third floor balcony in a Buenos Aires hotel on Wednesday evening
• An employee at the hotel had called emergency services prior to the fatal fall to ask for assistance managing a man's aggressive behaviour, saying he seemed under the influence

• Witnesses say they heard loud noises, including banging in the moments before Payne's death
• Payne was rushed to hospital, but his injuries were so severe he was unable to be resuscitated, emergency services say
• Investigators say they found a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and over-the-counter medication

Stick with us as we bring you the latest in the investigation as tributes continue to pour in from celebrities and fans across the world.

Ione Wells
Reporting from the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires

Police in Buenos Aires have confirmed that an inspection of the scene where Liam Payne fell has been carried out on the hotel’s ground floor.

They said that a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, and a mobile phone were found.

In the hotel room where Liam Payne was staying, staff found “total disorder” including “various items broken.”

They said this included several packets of medication, including Clonazepam, as well as over-the-counter medications.

A notebook and passport were also found at the scene.

Evidence and finger prints have been collected to be analysed in a laboratory.

Those carrying out inspections of the area also examined the room’s balcony to establish access to it.