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Harry Styles' mother pays tribute to Liam Payne

Harry Styles' mother pays tribute to Liam Payne

Harry Styles' mother posted a moving three-word tribute to Liam Payne, her son's One Direction bandmate, who died Wednesday after falling several stories from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

“Just a boy…” Anne Twist wrote on Instagram about the late 31-year-old alongside a heartbroken photo.

Twist and Payne met when he and their son became famous together after appearing on The X-Factor UK in 2010.

One Direction's Harry Styles (left) and Liam Payne performed together for years after meeting on X Factor UK in 2010. Kevin Winters

The two originally auditioned alone, but the judges put Payne, Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson together to form One Direction.

They quickly became an international phenomenon and the best-selling boy band of all time, despite only finishing third on the show.

Payne fell to his death from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday evening.

He said he had “behaved erratically” and may have been “under the influence of drugs or alcohol” in the hours before his death.

Sources told Page Six that the “Strip That Down” singer “has been experiencing periods of ruinous behavior for a long time.”

Payne came to Argentina earlier this month with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy to support Horan, who had a show there.

Styles' mother Anne Twist posted “Just a boy” after learning of Payne's death. @annetwist/Instagram
Payne died Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony.
Harry Styles poses with his mother Anne Twist. annetwist/Instagram

Horan's brother said Thursday he was completely “heartbroken” over Payne's sudden death.

“You were a top boy for a man, a son, a brother, you're just one of four guys. I was lucky enough to take my place in Niall's life, as a brother you will be missed forever,” Greg Horan posted on Instagram.

“Liam's words cannot describe how much I want to grab my brother and take care of him while the world shows its memories of you, him and the boys,” he added.

Styles, 30, Horan, 31, Tomlinson, 32, and Malik, 31, have not yet publicly responded to the news of their former bandmate's death.

Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son Bear, whom he fathered with his ex-singer Cheryl Cole.

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