One Direction Band Members Share Heartbreaking Statement About Liam Payne's Death

Years after splitting up to pursue solo careers, Liam Payne's shocking death brought One Direction back together in a heartbreaking way. Still processing their feelings over the news, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan dusted off their Instagram, which hadn't been used in four years, to honor their partner. "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly," they wrote.

They concluded their statement by offering condolences to Payne's loved ones and offering their partner a bittersweet farewell. "The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever," they added. "For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam."

One Direction hasn't been seen together since their "On the Road" tour, which began on February, 7, 2015, and ended on October, 31, 2015. Afterward, they announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus, which Styles felt was ultimately doing their fans a favor. "If you're shortsighted, you can think, 'Let's just keep touring,' but we all thought too much of the group than to let that happen," Styles told Rolling Stone in 2017. "You realize you're exhausted and you don't want to drain people's belief in you."

Liam Payne was very open about the tensions that emerged between himself and his One Direction family every now and then. On Logan Paul's "Impaulsive"  podcast, he aired out his bandmates' dirty laundry. "Louis was wild. And he wanted to be wild. That's his spirit. He's my best mate now, but in the band, we hated each other. Like, to come to blows hated each other," Payne said. "It was close."

He also had a few choice words for Malik, sharing that they had a pretty deep love-hate relationship at the time. "Before we go too deeply into this, there's many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there's many reasons why I'll always, always be on his side," he added. But much later on, Payne uploaded a video on his Youtube page "Liam Payne Official" after taking a long hiatus from the entertainment industry. The late singer touched base with his fans, explaining that his hiatus was necessary for his mental health. Afterwards, Payne quickly reflected on his talk with Logan Paul.

Regretting what he'd done, Payne extended an olive branch and publicly apologized to the band. Taking full accountability for his actions, he explained his thought process going into the interview. "I was so angry about what was going on around me, and instead of taking a look inwards I decided to look outwards at everybody," he said. He revealed that his bandmates were still there for him during this challenging ordeal, showing that there was seemingly nothing that could break apart the One Direction family for good.