Shawn Mendes Remembers Liam Payne As A 'beautiful Soul' And Dedicates New Song To Him

Shawn Mendes has remembered Liam Payne as a "beautiful soul" following his shock death.

The former One Direction singer died on Wednesday (16.10.24) at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires and his fellow pop star Shawn, 26, paid tribute to him whilst on stage at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in New York on Friday.

He said: "We heard the news about Liam. It felt like... It felt completely devastating. I got to meet him a couple times, and he was a beautiful soul and his eyes gleamed — it was beauty, shining into his eyes."

The 'Stitches' singer then decided to dedicate a performance of his track 'Heart of Gold' to Liam as he "sent love" to the tragic star.

He said: "It's about grieving those we miss with tears and it's also about celebrating them and who they were and what they left in this world and I just want to take a second to send so much love to him, wherever he is up there. Liam, we love you."

Liam shot to fame in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik when they placed third on the UK version of 'The X Factor', and they went on to achieve global chart-topping success as the world's first billion-dollar boyband.

The group went on hiatus in 2016 and Liam went on to have son Bear, seven, with his former partner Cheryl and enjoyed a solo career with his hit single 'Strip That Down' and his only album 'LP1'.

Just over 24 hours after the tragedy, the 'What Makes You Beautiful' singers released a joint statement, admitting to being "devastated by the news of Liam's passing".

They said: "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.

"The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. 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. - Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry. (sic)"

Liam was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy at the time of his death, but is also survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he was with Girls Aloud star Cheryl.