Harry Styles mourns Liam Payne's death in a statement

Harry Styles pays tribute to the late Liam Payne as One Direction mourns their loss.

After Payne died on Wednesday at the age of 31, his former 1D colleague shared a heartfelt statement, reflecting on his “most treasured years” performing with the group at the start of their respective careers.

“I am truly devastated by Liam’s death. “His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honor to be by his side,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had a life energy that was contagious. “He was warm, supportive and incredibly loving,” Styles added. “The years we spent together will forever be among the most precious years of my life. I miss him always, my dear friend. My heart breaks for Karen, Geoff, Nicola and Ruth, his son Bear and everyone in the world who knew and loved him as well as I did. -Harry”

Payne died Wednesday at age 31 when he fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. La Nation reported that employees at Hotel Casa Sur called police before the incident to report “an aggressive male who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”