Liam Payne’s former school has paid a touching tribute to the ex-One Direction star after his death at 31. The singer, who shot to fame with the globally renowned boyband, tragically fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
City of Wolverhampton College, where Liam studied, expressed their condolences on X (formerly Twitter), posting a photo of the star from his school days. They wrote: “We were sorry to hear the news about former student Liam Payne and wish to extend our sympathies to his family and friends at this very sad time.”
Celebrities including Paris Hilton, Charlie Puth, and Steven Bartlett have also honoured Liam, reports the Mirror. TV host Dermot O’Leary reminisced: “The worst news. I remember him as a 14 year old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing. He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble. Sending love and prayers to his family. Dx.”
Marvin Humes of JLS shared his memories: “I first met Liam in 2008 with the JLS boys whilst auditioning for X Factor..he was 14 years old..we instantly clicked and looked at him as a little brother..that year it worked out for us but not for him and then 2 years later he went back to audition and One Direction was born..the rest is history..”
“Absolutely heartbroken by the tragic news..Liam you wanted to be a global superstar and you did it bro..just can’t believe that things have ended this way..it’s shocking..my thoughts and prayers are with all your family and friends brother..RIP.”
Anne Twist, mother of Harry Styles, also offered up a touching tribute to Liam. She took to Instagram to post a simple image with her 2.5 million followers; a black background emblazoned with a red broken heart emoji.
Her caption was brief: “Just a boy…,” followed by another emblem of a broken heart. One Direction aficionados have been quick to swamp her post with supportive messages.
In related news, Zayn Malik’s sister, Waliyha, revealed her own grief on social media platform X, with an old picture of herself alongside Liam. Overcome with sorrow, she shared, “I can’t believe it, I honestly have no words for this sad moment… I really can’t believe it.”