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Stars like J Balvin, Gloria Trevi, Maria Becerra, Mau y Ricky, Danna, Prince Royce and more walked the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards red carpet ahead of the ceremony, set to air Sunday (Oct. 20) on Telemundo. Karol G leads the list of finalists with 17 nods in categories including artist of the year, tour of […]
Harry Styles is the latest One Direction member to share a heartbreaking message following the untimely death of Liam Payne at just 31 years old.
Alongside a photo of Payne sitting on a stage, singing to a massive arena crowd, Styles wrote via Instagram on Thursday (Oct. 17), “I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing. His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.”
The message continued, “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend. My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear, and all those around the world who knew and loved him, as I did.”
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See Styles’ post here.
The statement comes in addition to one from Louis Tomlinson, a post from Zayn and a joint message by the surviving members of One Direction, in which they wrote, “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.”
Payne died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at around 5:07 p.m. local time after sustaining multiple injuries from a three-floor fall, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room after they arrived at the scene. In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police got there, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.
On Thursday (Oct. 17), Tencent Music Entertainment Group announced a strategic partnership with Galaxy Corporation, the agency representing the influential global musician G-Dragon, for his upcoming regional tour.
The collaboration marks a significant step forward in TME’s ambitions to expand its global presence and further solidify its position in the international music scene. As part of this agreement, TME will act as the proprietary tour partner for G-Dragon’s concerts across various markets, including most of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, TC Pan, group vice president of Tencent Music Entertainment, highlighted the importance of this partnership. “Collaborating with a renowned global musician like G-Dragon aligns perfectly with TME’s vision of connecting international audiences with exceptional music experiences. This partnership not only strengthens our presence in the global market, but also underscores our commitment to empowering music partners and artists to reach their full potential on the world stage.”
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Yongho Choi, CEO of Galaxy Corporation, also shared his enthusiasm. “We are delighted to partner with Tencent Music Entertainment, a global entertainment-tech company listed on NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Building on this strategic partnership, we plan to integrate AI, AR, mixed reality, and robotics into entertainment to create a new kind of concert experience for global audiences.”
TME has been making efforts to broaden its international footprint through a range of initiatives like its Global Music Outreach program, which seeks to showcase Chinese music artists on international platforms and facilitate cross-border collaborations. It also operates the JOOX streaming service in Southeast Asia.
With this strategic partnership, TME aims to elevate G-Dragon’s overseas tour experience by expanding its reach and providing fans with new opportunities to connect with his music and brand, while reinforcing TME’s growing influence in the global music industry.
Ms. Rachel, the YouTube creator of toddler learning videos who’s welcomed 11.9 million subscribers to her channel — John Legend and Chrissy Teigen among them — has a collaboration out with Legend. The pair sing together on a super-sunny rendition of Legend’s “L-O-V-E,” a track from his album My Favorite Dream (Republic Records: Kids & […]
Zayn Malik is honoring his former One Direction bandmate and “brother,” Liam Payne, following the tragic news of his death at 31 years old.
The “Pillowtalk” singer took to Instagram on Thursday (Oct. 17) to share a photo of himself laying in Payne’s lap as the two then-teenagers take a nap. In the accompanying statement, he says he hopes Payne can “hear” him, as he’s been “talking out loud” to the late start over the past day.
“I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives,” he continued. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and I was loved.”
He added that while they “butted heads” on occasion, he “secretly respected” his strong opinions. “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f—s about telling people when they were wrong,” he wrote. “When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.”
Malik continued, “I 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 and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good are at peace [prayer hands emoji] And you know how loved you are.”
“Love you bro,” he ended his message, which you can read in full here.
Malik’s statement comes in addition to one from Louis Tomlinson and a joint message by the surviving members of One Direction, in which they noted that they are “completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.” The group statement continued, “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.”
Payne died around 5:07 p.m. local time after sustaining multiple traumas and hemorrhages from his fall, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room after they arrived at the scene. In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police got there, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.
Ángela Aguilar is blocking out the noise surrounding her whirlwind marriage to Christian Nodal. In a recent interview with ABC News, the 21-year-old Latin music star spoke out about the rumor mill her relationship set into motion over the summer when the couple tied the knot in July — just two months after the 25-year-old […]
Neneh Cherry and Sparks were among the honorees at the 2024 Association of Independent Music (AIM) Awards, which also saw big wins for Jorja Smith, Sampha, Pendulum and fast-rising electronic music producer Barry Can’t Swim.
Held at London’s Roundhouse venue on Thursday (Oct. 17), the 14th edition of the annual awards show, which recognizes the achievements of the artists, labels, entrepreneurs and companies that make up the U.K.’s indie sector, saw Cherry presented with the innovator award in recognition of her trailblazing career and lasting influence.
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This year’s outstanding contribution to music award was collected by U.S. pop rock duo Sparks, who used the occasion to announce that they have signed a global deal with Transgressive Records for their next studio album. The as-yet-untitled release, due next year, will be distributed by Firebird Label Services, marking the veteran band’s return to the indie music community after reuniting with Island Records for last year’s The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte studio set.
One of the night’s biggest prizes went to British R&B singer Smith, who won the best independent album award for her 2023 sophomore album, Falling or Flying, released through FAMM. Accepting the award via video, Smith, a 2019 Grammy nominee for best new artist, thanked U.K. production duo DAMEDAME* for their work on the album and her label “for believing in me from all these years ago to now.”
Singer-songwriter Sampha took home prizes for best independent track for last year’s “Spirit 2.0” and best independent video for “Only”; he also performed at the ceremony. Other live performances came from Heavenly Recordings-signed Lynks, punk rock act BEX and Manchester rapper OneDa, who received this year’s one to watch award.
Other prizes given out on the night included independent breakthrough, which went to electronic music producer Barry Can’t Swim (real name Joshua Mainnie), and the public-voted best live performer title, awarded to Pendulum.
Heavenly Recordings was named best independent label, while record shop Drift in Totnes, Devon was crowned the U.K.’s best independent record store. Music Venue Trust co-founders Mark Davyd and Beverley Whitrick were jointly honored as independent music champions for their work supporting grassroots music venues in the U.K.
Prior to Thursday’s ceremony, Afrobeats artist, producer and songwriter Silvastone, who has collaborated with the likes of Popcaan, Sneakbo, Bugzy Malone and Lady Leshurr, was announced as AIM’s 2024 diversity champion in recognition of his community work.
“This community never ceases to amaze me with its collective spirit in celebrating each other’s wins and recognising that we rise highest when we rise together,” said AIM’s interim CEO Gee Davy in a statement.
According to figures released earlier this year from U.K. labels trade body BPI, independently released songs and albums accounted for almost one-third of all music consumption in the U.K. in 2023, with the equivalent of more than 53 million independently released albums streamed or purchased across digital and physical formats. The U.K. is the world’s third-biggest recorded music market in IFPI’s annual rankings behind the U.S. and Japan.
Previous winners at the AIM Awards include Adele, Idles, Little Simz, Wet Leg, Stormzy, Dave, Arlo Parks and Christine and the Queens, all of whom were recognized by the association early in their careers, prior to enjoying mainstream success.
Here’s the full list of nominees and winners at the 2024 AIM Independent Music Awards:
UK Independent Breakthrough (in association with Amazon Music):
Bar Italia (Matador Records)
Barry Can’t Swim (Ninja Tune) *WINNER*
CASISDEAD (XL Recordings)
Saint Harison (Tell Your Friends)
Wunderhorse (Communion Records)
Best Independent Album (in association with Spotify)
Actress – LXXXVIII (Ninja Tune)
ANOHNI and the Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross (Rough Trade Records)
Barry Can’t Swim – When Will We Land? (Ninja Tune)
D-Block Europe – Rolling Stone (EGA Distro)
Jorja Smith – falling or flying (FAMM) *WINNER*
Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent (Warp Records)
Nabihah Iqbal – Dreamer (Ninja Tune)
Nubiyan Twist – Find Your Flame (Strut Records)
Skrapz – Reflection (EGA Distro)
Best Independent Track (in association with Meta)
Amy Gadiaga – ‘All Black Everything’ (Jazz re:freshed)
CASISDEAD – ‘Venom’ (XL Recordings)
Ezra Collective – ‘Ajala’ (Partisan Records)
Fontaines DC – ‘Starburster’ (XL Recordings)
Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair – ‘Set The Roof’ (Warp Records)
Jorja Smith – ‘Little Things’ (FAMM)
KNEECAP, Grian Chatten – ‘Better Way To Live’ (Heavenly Recordings)
Matthew Halsall – ‘An Ever-Changing View’ (Gondwana Records)
NikNak – ‘1200RPM’ (Accidental Records)
Sampha – ‘Spirit 2.0’ (Young) *WINNER*
Best Independent Remix (in association with Notion)
The Egyptian Lover Remix – Sudan Archives – Freakalizer (Stones Throw Records)
Joy Anonymous Remix – Ezra Collective, Sampa The Great – JOY (Life Goes On) (Partisan Records) *WINNER*
L BEATS Mashup – Jorja Smith – Little Things x Gypsy Woman (FAMM)
Olof Dreijer Remix – Björk – Oral (feat. Rosalia) (One Little Independent)
P-rallel Remix – Aluna, Jayda G – Mine O’ Mine (Mad Decent Under Exclusive Licence to Because Music)
Best Live Performer
Frank Turner (Xtra Mile Recordings)
KNEECAP (Heavenly Recordings)
Laura Misch (One Little Independent)
Pendulum (Mushroom Music) *WINNER*
RAYE (Human Re Sources)
One To Watch (in association with BBC Music Introducing)
Antony Szmierek (LAB Records)
Kitty Amor (Defected Records)
Lynks (Heavenly Recordings)
Miso Extra (Transgressive Records)
OneDa (Heavenly Recordings) *WINNER*
PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist
Barry Can’t Swim (Ninja Tune)
Coach Party (Chess Club Records)
Far From Saints (Ignition Records) *WINNER*
Popeth (Recordiau Côsh Records)
Tom A. Smith (TYM Records)
Best Independent EP/Mixtape
George Riley – ‘Un/limited Love’ (Ninja Tune)
Headie One & K-Trap – ‘STRENGTH TO STRENGTH’ (One Records and Thousand8)
HONESTY – ‘BOX’ (Partisan Records)
JGrrey – ‘If Not Now?’ (PACE, a subsidiary of Marathon Music Group)
Potter Payper – ‘Thanks For Hating’ (EGA Distro) *WINNER*
Best Independent Video (in association with Vevo)
Gia Ford – Poolside (Chrysalis Records)
Khruangbin – A Love International (Dead Oceans)
Master Peace – I Might Be Fake feat. Georgia (PMR Records)
Mitski – My Love Mine All Mine (Dead Oceans)
Sampha – Only (Young) *WINNER*
Best Independent Label (in association with BBC Radio 6 Music)
Heavenly Recordings *WINNER*
Ninja Tune
Partisan Records
Sub Pop Records
Transgressive Records
Best Boutique Label (in association with Qobuz)
AD 93
Houndstooth
LAB Records
New Soil
Sonic Cathedral *WINNER*
Best Creative Campaign (in association with Able)
Chrysalis Records and BODEGA (‘Our Brand Could Be Yr Life’ )
Dead Oceans and Slowdive (‘everything are alive’ )
Lofi Girl – Identity Music (‘Snowman’)
Warp Records and Aphex Twin (‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a Room7 F760’) *WINNER*
Young and Sampha (‘LAHAI’ )
Best Independent Record Store
Drift *WINNER*
Honest Jon’s
Piccadilly
Rough Trade Bristol
Stranger Than Paradise Records
Music Entrepreneur of the Year
Andrew Batey (Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Beatdapp)
Atlanta Cobb (Founder & Director, Music Industry Mentor)
Colin Batsa (President and Chairman, EGA Distro)
Meg Carnie (Studio Manager / Co-Founder / Artist Manager – South Lanes Studios) *WINNER*
Tom Allen (President, Downtown Royalties and Financial Services, Downtown Music)
Diversity Champion
SILVASTONE *WINNER*
Independent Music Champion (in association with Downtown)
Music Venue Trust *WINNER*
Outstanding Contribution to Music (in association with Merlin)
Sparks *WINNER*
Innovator
Neneh Cherry *WINNER*
Doechii is serving up some financial literacy for her fans. She’s been tapped by pgLang and Cash App to star in their The Barbershop ad as part of the joint venture’s That’s Money campaign, which arrived Thursday (Oct. 17).
The Top Dawg Entertainment rapper was minding her business getting braided when an annoyed customer voiced their frustrations to comedian Exavier TV — playing the role of a barber — about a quick flip of cash not working out.
“In the beginning, everyone had a plan for my money, but then I realized I had to do my own thing,” she began in the clip. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to monetize my career, but at the same time I don’t wanna be making moves that require me to do too much. I just want to put the money to the side, not have to worry about it, but still know that it’s growing.”
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Doechii then kicks some knowledge about interest and having “free money” work for you on its own without even paying it any mind.
“I’m at a place now where I’m starting to make a budget and set financial goals for my future,” the Florida rapper said in a statement. “I think it’s so important to be honest with each other when we talk about money, which is why I’m excited to be part of this campaign and share what’s been working for me.”
Calmatic directs the clip — he’s worked with LeBron James, Kendrick Lamar and McDonald’s creatively to name a few in the past — which progressively zooms out of the barbershop to the point it’s a small block lodged into a white screen.
“What I loved most about this project was the opportunity to essentially describe to the audience what ‘interest’ is in one of the most raw and straightforward ways I’ve ever seen in financial advertising,” the Los Angeles native said in a statement, “Interest is one of those words that you hear over and over but don’t really know exactly what it is.”
Kendrick Lamar lent Doechii the ultimate cosign when deeming her “the hardest out” with a post to his Instagram Story on Thursday.
Look for another iteration of That’s Money to launch later in 2024. On the music side, Doechii delivered her critically-acclaimed Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape in August, which reached No. 117 on the Billboard 200.
Watch the ad below.
Jake Shimabukuro is still pinching himself. And Mick Fleetwood is smiling ear to ear.
That’s how the two are feeling as they bring out Blues Experience, a collaborative album that finds the ukulele virtuoso and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer exploring the blues over nine tracks – one of which is a moving tribute to Fleetwood’s late Fleetwood Mac bandmate, Christine McVie.
“I’m really excited about this project,” Shimabukuro tells Billboard via Zoom from Hawaii, where he lives (and where he met Fleetwood, another Hawaii resident). “It’s such a departure from anything I’ve ever done, but I love that because it really feels like I learned a lot from this experience. In my wildest dreams I never would have imagined that this album would exist someday. And I love those kinds of things…the most unlikely collaborations or combinations coming together to do something very different and unique.”
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Fleetwood — who has some 40 ukuleles hanging on the walls of his home as decorations — adds that the appeal for him was to work with someone he calls “an explorer. He’s fascinated with music. He comes from a very traditional musical background, but he’s done an extraordinary amount of projects with anyone from Neil Young to Bette Midler, all this strange, bizarre, super-eclectic stuff that’s obviously intrigued him on his journey. That’s what led to, ‘What can a funny old drummer — me — do with someone like this?’”
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Fleetwood and Shimabukuro had met a number of times over the years, establishing a friendly relationship. “We basically were passing in the night for years, always saying, ‘We’ve got to do something together,’” recalls Fleetwood. Meeting up again at a Shimabukuro show in Maui during early 2023 put the idea on the front-burner for both, and by March they were in a studio Fleetwood has near his home, with “no pressure, no agenda, just to get in there to see what happens.” Four songs in four days — “recording everything live and just experimenting and having a lot of fun,” according to Shimabukuro — proved they were creatively in sync. Shimabukuro was even happy to plug into a vintage Fender Princeton amplifier that helped him craft a sound that “really seemed to work nicely for this genre and this style.”
Playing blues was a no-brainer, even if it’s something Shimabukuro had not done to a great extent before. “First, Mick’s the iconic blues drummer,” he explains. “I’ve always loved that style of music, that style of playing the guitar, that kind of phrasing. I mean, one of my all-time favorite Jimi Hendrix tunes is his version of ‘Red House’ when I was young. So it was in me.”
Shimabukuro also acknowledges the influence on his playing of “Uncle” Joseph Kekuku, the 19th century acknowledged inventor of the steel guitar. “I’m not playing slide on my ukulele, but this album kind of brings it back to what he did and what I learned from that. It’s kind of a throwback but at the same time is progressive.”
Fleetwood says that his cohort “was very privy to the pedigree of early Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green. So that became sort of the template of the conversation, or at least the overview. He’s very passionate about what he does, and anything with passion in it, in my quiet opinion, is connected to the blues. He’s an incredibly, technically capable player, period, and he has a whole other world of looking at things in a different way, where you actually pay attention to where the blues come from. So this album ended up being a combination of his natural self, which is a huge catalog of technical ability, and what it is that I do.”
Blues Experience isn’t strictly blues, mind you; there are renditions of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” for instance, as well as Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” But the bulk of the set hews that way, including the Shimabukuro original “Kula Blues,” and the Stevie Wonder-written, Jeff Beck-popularized “‘Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” a personal favorite of Shimabukuro’s that features Sonny Landreth on slide guitar. Keyboardist Mark Johnstone from the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band plays on a couple of tracks, while bassist Jackson Waldhoff and keyboardist Michael Grande play throughout the album.
The album’s most stunning moment, however, is its closing, a rendering of Christine McVie’s Fleetwood Mac signature song “Songbird” followed by a spoken word coda by Fleetwood, mourning McVie’s death on Nov. 30, 2022. It’s a three-hanky musical elegy, even though Fleetwood says “that wasn’t the intention.”
“‘Songbird’ came out of the blue, and we couldn’t not include it,” Fleetwood says. “It was around the time when Christine had passed, and we found ourselves doing that song, which was not predetermined. To me that was very poignant. I was very pregnant with the loss of Christine, and the fact that we were singing it but not singing it reminded me of Peter Green; he had a great natural voice, but he also sang through his instrument. It was very emotional and also in those moments was a prayer, for sure. Christine was a huge loss for me and for millions and millions of people.”
Saluting McVie on a blues album was also appropriate, Fleetwood adds. “She was a blues player,” he says. “She came up through the ranks, playing with Freddie King. And she was an extraordinarily passionate songwriter; just when you thought she was on a journey into the pop world she’ll go out and lay something on you like ‘Songbird’ that really is a lament…which is of course connective to the blues.
“Before we lost Christine there were some intentions that Fleetwood Mac would’ve found a way to say goodbye…but we didn’t. It was unthinkable for (the band) to do any more. Stevie (Nicks) has been able to do that in many ways on the big excursion that she’s doing; she’s been able to do what Fleetwood Mac was not. All of that was like a sort of tsunami of feeling as we did that song. But it was also very healing, and a kind of closure.”
Fleetwood and Shimabukuro played some of the Blues Experience songs live at We Are Friends — A Maui Wildfire Benefit Concert on the island last year, and they both voice a desire to perform together again. They’re also up to collaborate more, though Shimabukuro claims that “I would never want to get greedy and ask for another project like this from him — but if he brought it up and said, ‘Man, let’s do another one,’ are you kidding me? Oh my goodness, that would be a dream come true, like winning the lottery twice.”
The odds are better than that, however. “If Jake knocked on the door and said, ‘I’m actually not on the road,’ I would always be open to doing something,” Fleetwood affirms. In the meantime, he’s working on an album of his own, collaborating with an “interesting” corps of other artists (he mentions Girl In Red specifically) and even employing some of those ukuleles from the wall.
“It’s petrifying,” Fleetwood acknowledges, “but it’s actually turning out to be really interesting. I’m having a lot of fun doing that, and my heart is saying ‘you need to do more.’ Doing this (album) with Jake did me a lot of good. It was really the trigger of ‘you can do this.’ It’s very therapeutic, and I’ve actually learned to express myself in little areas I never knew was there, and to whatever avail doesn’t really matter. It’s just about doing it, and then we’ll see what it leads to.”
Louis Tomlinson is paying tribute to his longtime friend and former bandmate, Liam Payne, following the news of his death on Wednesday (Oct. 16).
In a heartbreaking post shared to Instagram on Thursday (Oct. 17), Tomlinson said that he is “devastated” to have “lost a brother,” alongside a photo of the two One Direction members smiling onstage, with Payne’s arm wrapped around Tomlinson’s shoulder.
“Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul,” the “Bigger Than Me” singer continued in his post. “I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.”
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He added that Payne was the “most vital part of One Direction,” due to “his experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing.”
Tomlinson then shared a message directly to Payne, hoping he’s “listening,” writing, “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”
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He continued that he will be looking out for Payne’s seven-year-old son, Bear, adding, “I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.”
“Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well,” his statement concluded. See it here.
Tomlinson’s statement comes in addition to a joint message by the surviving members of One Direction, in which they noted that they are “completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.” The group statement continued, “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.”
Payne died around 5:07 p.m. local time after sustaining multiple traumas and hemorrhages from his fall, a recent preliminary autopsy confirmed. Local authorities believe he was not sober at the time and found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room after they arrived at the scene. In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police got there, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.