Louis Tomlinson says Liam Payne was the ‘most vital’ One Direction member (Picture: JAB Promotions/WireImage)
One Direction singer Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 31-year-old dad-of-one was in the South American country after seeing his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan in concert just days earlier.
Tributes have poured in from across the world of music and showbiz, as the likes of Zayn Malik and Ed Sheeran have both expressed their grief over Payne’s loss.
In among the messages, his former bandmate and songwriting partner Louis Tomlinson has called the Strip That Down hitmaker ‘the most vital part’ of One Direction.
On Instagram, Louis said: ‘I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.’
He continued: ‘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.’
Here are seven times that Payne shone through One Direction’s career.
What Makes You Beautiful (2011)
Thirteen years ago – after finishing third on the 2010 series of The X Factor – One Direction launched their pop career with debut single What Makes You Beautiful.
The song went straight to number one in 2011 and immediately became a staple of early 2010s playlists. The accompanying music video also summed up that era’s fashion better than any other.
But of the five boys in One Direction, it was Liam Payne who first introduced them to the world, singing their debut song’s opening lines: ‘You’re insecure, don’t know what for / You’re turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or.’
From there, the only direction for the young lads was up, scoring another three UK number ones as they became one of the biggest boybands in the world.
At the time of writing, What Makes You Beautiful has spent more than a year in total on the UK charts, with a massive 78 weeks inside the official top 100.
With over 1.5billion views on YouTube and 1.3bn Spotify streams, the song is still One Direction’s defining hit for an entire generation of kids who grew up with their music.
Gotta Be You (2011)
With their debut single proving to be a huge success on both sides of the Atlantic, sceptics still wondered whether One Direction would just be a one-hit-wonder.
Gotta Be You was the song that put down the marker. The song that confirmed One Direction were here to stay, reaching number three in the UK charts – only being held off top spot by Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ We Found Love.
And who did songwriters August Rigo and Steve Mac turn to for the first verse again? You guessed it: Liam Payne.
A softer, much slower song than What Makes You Beautiful, Gotta Be You sees the boys begging that special girl for one more chance, admitting that …read more
Source:: Metro
