Tributes are pouring in memory of Liam Payne after the singer died unexpectedly while in Argentina on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old is being remembered by his fans and friends, while his family have released a grief-filled statement.
Payne died instantly from a fractured skull after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur hotel, in Buenos Aires.
“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” the family’s statement, released on Thursday, read.
The singer had a noteworthy relationship with another X Factor alumni, Cheryl Tweedy and, at the time of his death, had been in a relationship with Kate Cassidy for two years.
Having been in the public eye since he was 16, Payne was used to press scrutiny and this was perhaps at its most intense during his relationship with US model Maya Henry.
The pair began dating in 2019 and became engaged in August 2020 but split in June 2021, only to reunite later that year and become engaged again.
However, by May 2022, they had split for the second time.
In the weeks before his death, Henry accused the singer of repeated unwanted contact.
She had reportedly started legal proceedings and issued a cease-and-desist order against the 31-year-old last week.
Henry had not commented on the death as of 4pm on Thursday.
Who is Maya Henry?
Henry is a model and writer who has also earned a living as an influencer.
Born in Texas, she is the daughter of prominent local attorney Thomas J Henry – who was wealthy enough in 2015 to spend a reported $6m on her Quinceañera (a 15th birthday party), at which Payne was actually a guest. Her mother is Azteca Henry and she has a brother.
Aged 23, she is certainly one of the youngest of Payne’s romantic interests (the oldest being 54-year-old Naomi Campbell). The pair got together in 2019, when Henry was a teenager.
Henry gained work as a high-end model around this period and also established a reputation as a socialite, rubbing shoulders with the great and good at parties.
The pair had a rollercoaster relationship and were engaged before breaking up, and then reconciled, became engaged again and broke up a second time.
Henry hit out at social media trolls for sharing pictures of Payne with other women during their engagement.
She wrote: “Please stop sending me these pictures of my fiancé wrapped around another woman. This is not me and it’s hard enough knowing this has happened without seeing it. Enough now.”
Payne later acknowledged that he needed to “work on” himself in the aftermath of their relationship.
Henry later filed a cease-and-desist order against him although the details have remained largely confidential.
She fictionalised her story in the novel Looking Forward, which she wrote in 2023.
“Some of the things that fictionalised the book were, obviously, the name changes, some of the cities are different,” she said of the work.
Henry has not commented since the news of his death but “sources close to her” are alleged to have told the Mail that she is in shock.
