00:00One Direction has broken their silence in the wake of Liam Payne's tragic death
00:04following autopsy results which revealed the singer's cause of death.
00:08Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malek released a joint statement
00:13to address the sudden passing of their former bandmate.
00:17We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing.
00:20In time and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
00:24But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother,
00:27who we loved dearly.
00:29The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.
00:32For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.
00:37We will miss him terribly.
00:39We love you, Liam.
00:40The former One Direction member sadly died at 5.07 p.m. on Wednesday
00:44after tragically falling to his death from the balcony of a hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
00:50Autopsy results show that Payne died from trauma and internal and external bleeding.
00:55According to the local prosecutor, minutes before Payne's death,
00:58the hotel manager called 911 to ask for help for a guest who was, quote,
01:03under the influence of drugs and alcohol and had destroyed some objects in the room.
01:08Substances believed to be narcotics were found in the room of the singer,
01:11with the prosecutor's office noting that Payne was going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse.
01:16The prosecution said on Thursday that given the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall,
01:21it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself
01:25and that he could have fallen into a state of semi or total unconsciousness.
01:29The Buenos Aires Security Ministry noted to the Associated Press that Payne had jumped from the balcony of his room.
01:36An outpouring of love, grief, and shock has since rippled through the entertainment industry and beyond,
01:41including tributes from James Corden, Rita Ora, Charlie Puth, The Backstreet Boys, and more.
01:47In addition to One Direction's joint statement, Louis also wrote a personal emotional message,
01:53which said in part,
01:54I wish I got the chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.
01:59Payne, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother. I love you, mate. Sleep well.
02:03And as more tributes pour in, Zayn wrote a heartfelt tribute saying in part,
02:07I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time
02:13and say goodbye properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly.
02:17Payne's family also released an emotional statement which read,
02:21We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul.
02:28We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.
02:33Payne is best known for being one-fifth of the global boy band One Direction,
02:38alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson.
02:42Payne went on to have a fairly successful solo music career after leaving One Direction in 2016
02:48and collaborated with artists such as Quavo, DJ Zed, and J Balvin.
02:53He shared one son, Bear Gray Payne, born in 2017 with his ex-girlfriend and X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole.
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