Liam Payne will ‘leave lasting legacy on the music industry’, says The X Factor

The X Factor has said Liam Payne will “leave a lasting legacy on the music industry” through his time in One Direction, following his death.

The singer rose to stardom at the age of 16 after joining the boy band on the ITV singing competition in 2010 alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, having returned to the show two years after his first audition.

Music stars and famous faces have been paying tribute to the 31-year-old after he died falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local police said.

“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” The X Factor’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote alongside a photo of the star.

“He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world.

“Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.”

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood remembered performing alongside Payne and One Direction for a performance of the boy band’s track Where Do Broken Hearts Go on The X Factor in 2014.

“I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne. It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance,” Wood wrote as he paid tribute on Instagram.

“God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.”

Former Love Island host Laura Whitmore described the singer as “always so lovely and giving of his time” when she had met him over the years.

She recalled interviewing him at the Brit Awards one year when she could she see he was “very loved up with someone backstage”.

“Sometimes we forget people in the public eye are real people with real feelings,” she added.

“He was a pop star but more importantly someone’s son, father – loved by so many who are left heartbroken. My thoughts with his loved ones. I can’t believe it, but also I can. Which is devastating.”

BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James opened his breakfast show by telling listeners the news had been “unbearably sad” to wake up to and that he would be processing it with them.

He also told fans: “It might be the first time someone you’ve idolised has died and that’s a really strange thing to get your head around. So go easy on yourself today because it’s a shock, it’s destabilising.

“Even though you may not have not known Liam Payne personally we do have these para-social relationships where we do know these people to a certain extent and they are part of our lives and when they’re gone that’s weird to deal with.”

Paying a personal tribute to Payne, James said he had interviewed Payne only a few times but when he did he thought he was “so fun”, “funny” and “sweet”, before playing One Direction hit single What Makes You Beautiful.

Styles’ mother, Anne Twist, posted a broken-hearted emoji on Instagram, captioning it: “Just a boy.”

TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the two on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “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.”

Singer Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said on Instagram that he was “lost for words”, describing Payne’s death as “devastating”.

“We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch-ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together,” Murs wrote beside a picture of the two.

“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad.”

Former The Xtra Factor presenter Konnie Huq said she told Payne when Justin Bieber was on the show that he would “be as big as him one day” and Payne was “self-deprecating” but “absolutely did get to that level”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I actually found out last night (about his death), but ‘just a boy’ is so right, because really all he’s known in his adult, and pre-adult life as well to some extent, is being in the limelight, and, you know, thrust into this position of global fame, not just sort of being known in your own country, but everywhere, essentially.”

She added: “But I do remember we had Justin Bieber on the show, and Liam sort of had the same hairstyle, bore a striking resemblance, and so we got him to come on the show. He was really embarrassed to meet Justin.

“And then afterwards, I was like ‘you will be as big as him one day’ and he was actually kind of self-deprecating, it was quite mature of Liam, of the boys, and, you know, he absolutely did get to that level, but it’s a lot for young people to take on.”

She added: “We’ve always had stories of sort of massive stars dying young, but I feel that the pressure in general is more in modern living.”

Payne and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl had a son Bear, born in 2017, having been in a high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.

The Wanted star Max George said he met Payne while he was competing on The X Factor with One Direction, describing his death as “absolutely devastating news”.

“Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him,” he said on Instagram.

“Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom (Parker) fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer.

“He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that.”

Payne attended the funeral of Parker, who died in March 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

US singer Charlie Puth, a co-writer on Payne’s 2017 song Bedroom Floor, said he was in “shock” after Payne’s death.

“Liam was always so kind to me,” he posted on Instagram, alongside a collection of photos of the pair working together.

“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone… I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”

Rylan Clark said Payne’s death was “so tragic” on X, while fellow former X Factor contestants Jedward sent their love to Cheryl, his son Bear and “all the One Direction family”.

Socialite Paris Hilton also paid tribute on X, calling the singer’s death “so upsetting”, while BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball said “devastating news, dear Liam Payne”.

DJ and music producer Zedd, who featured alongside Payne on the 2017 song Get Low, called the singer’s death “absolutely heartbreaking”.

American singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign said he will “miss” Payne, captioning videos and pictures on his Instagram story: “Just talked to you two days ago my guy.”

Fellow boy band the Backstreet Boys also paid tribute, saying their hearts go out to “Directioners around the world”.

A statement on X added: “Words can not express the emotions we are collectively feeling right now, and it seems like the rest of the world is in the same boat.”

A number of industry bodies joined those paying tribute, including streaming giant Spotify, MTV and the Brit Awards, who all said in separate statements that they are “deeply saddened” by Payne’s death.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News it was “very sad news”.

She added: “It’s no age for someone to lose their life, and my thoughts are with his friends and family, this must be a total shock for them and very, very upsetting.”