Former X Factor star Eoghan Quigg has said “music has lost a good musician” after the tragic death of Liam Payne.
The One Direction singer died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina.
His family said they were “heartbroken”, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
The 31-year-old was believed to be in Buenos Aires for a concert by former bandmate Niall Horan.
Local police said Payne fell into the courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.
In a recording of a 911 call, the hotel desk manager said a guest under the influence of drugs and alcohol was “breaking everything” in their room.
Quigg shot to fame as a contestant on The X Factor in 2008, where he met Liam for the first time.
The Dungiven singer said he was a “really lovely, outgoing and bubbly fella”.
“I was in absolute shock when I heard the news, and I still am, it’s such a sad day,” he said.
“This is a death that will hurt the music industry for years to come, I wish we had the answers or could turn back time but it’s just not possible.
“It’s such a young life taken too soon, it is so tragic, and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
Liam and Eoghan first met 16 years ago during the auditions for the fifth series of X Factor in 2008.
After the pair progressed through the show, they jetted off to Barbados to perform at Simon Cowell’s home for the judge’s house stage of the competition.
Liam Payne and Eoghan Quigg on X-Factor when in 2008
Payne was not selected for the final list of contestants who performed in the livers shows that year, when Quigg finished third, behind eventual winner Alexandra Burke and runners-up JLS.
Although he failed to make the cut that year, Payne was told by judges to return to the show two years later.
It was then when One Direction was formed, with Payne joining bandmates Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles.
Fan react to the news of the death of Liam Payne Fans at the CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires
Quigg said he holds fond memories of the trip to Barbados with Payne and the other hopefuls.
“We were just six lads away trying to make a music career — I was 16 and he was 14. We were only young, and we had the best time, and it’ll be those memories that I’ll have of Liam,” he told this newspaper.
“He was such a lovely, energetic fella and I remember his mum Karen coming along on the trip as chaperone and she was so nice, she looked after all of us on the trip.
“My heart goes out to her at this time, and also to his dad and sister and all loved ones, it’s so awful.
“I have kids as well and I can’t imagine how his son must be feeling.”
Liam Payne
Quigg said there wasn’t much support for musicians on coping with fame once the show finished.
“I lived in London for a time after X Factor and toured all over the place but I just got homesick after a while and wanted to come home and, I guess I was one of the lucky ones because I could do that,” he said.
“In my home town of Dungiven, I was just Eoghan before I went on X Factor and I could come home and still be the same person and come back down to earth.
“After the show there was no real support system it was all just left up to you to deal with the fame and all that came with it.
“It can be hard for others and, although Liam was top of the charts and part of one of the biggest boy bands in the world, fame obviously has its downsides where he struggled with addiction for years.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get the support he needed, although I know he had fantastic support from his family.
“But because of the level of fame One Direction reached, they could never return to their lives before, it was changed forever.
“But Liam made such an impressive mark on the music industry and he should be remembered as such.”
Fans outside the CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires following the death of Liam Payne
Irish singer Mary Byrne, who appeared in the 2010 series of X Factor alongside One Direction, said that she feels like she has “lost one of my little sons.”
“They were my babies in the house and I was called Mammy Mary. It hit me hard, it hit me really bloody hard,” she said.
While she had not been in contact with Payne for some time, she remembers him fondly.
“He was always protective of everyone and wanted everyone to do well… he kind of had an old head on his shoulders,” she said.