Liam Payne's sister Ruth has spoken out for the first time about his death, saying "I'm sorry I couldn't save you" in a heartbreaking message.
In a post to Instagram this morning, Ruth said she was struggling to comprehend the week's tragic events and all she wanted to do was 'drive to her brother's house and speak to him'.
"One last time I need you to know, I'm here if you need anything. I'd drive to the end of the universe to bring you back," she shared. Ruth shared her heartbreak as she said her brother 'never believed he was good enough.' Ruth said all Liam wanted was to be loved and make people happy with his music.
"You've had to try really hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you," she said in an emotional open letter to the singer.
Liam died at the age of 31 on Wednesday after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina, where he had flown to support One Direction star Niall Horan on tour. Liam had a close-knit bond with his family, and fondly spoke of sisters Ruth and Nicola being his 'friends for life.'
Earlier this week, Liam's parents left their family home in Wolverhampton to fly to Buenos Aires to begin the process of bringing their son home.
Speaking for the first time about the loss, sister Ruth took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to her 'brother and best friend.'
Ruth wrote: "Liam, my brain is struggling to catch up with what's happening and I don't understand where you've gone. I just want to drive to your house and walk in to music blasting and find you sat there writing a song or walk into your art phases and sit with you while you draw or craft."
She went on: "What I love most about you is your ability to make me laugh. I never chuckle as much as I do when I'm with you with anyone else. I'm always in awe of your talent it should be illegal to be so talented and just have the ability to not only be good at things but to be bloody great at everything you attempt, without even knowing you're absolutely smashing it each time."
"I love your kindness and how proud I am to call you my brother and my best friend. You also make a great Sunday dinner too!" she joked.
"I don't feel this world was good enough or kind enough to have you, and quite often over the last few years you've had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you. You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music. You never believed you were good enough. I hope you can now see this outpouring of love that you never received in your time."
"Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for the incredible memories, thank you for being the best brother and friend I 'll ever have! We'll take care of Bear and he will always know how incredible his dad is and how much you idolise him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Love you, oh how my heart misses you, Ru xxx" she signed off, before adding "One last time I need you to know, I'm here if you need anything. I'd drive to the end of the universe to bring you back."
Ruth's statement comes after her father was seen outside the CasaSur Hotel in Argentina. The grieving father was seen taking in the outpouring of tributes left by fans.
Geoff Payne was pictured in a navy suit exiting the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital, where the 31-year-old British star fell from a third floor balcony on Wednesday.
Mr Payne is said to have flown to the country to organise the repatriation of his son, the Associated Press has reported.
Mr Payne was seen visiting tributes laid out by fans outside the hotel, reading letters and pausing around flowers, photographs and candles.
It comes after the singer’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)Girls Aloud singer Cheryl has since voiced concerns over protecting the seven-year-old son she shares with Payne, following their high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.
“As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.
Sharing a black and white picture of Payne in bed with his young son Bear, she added: “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son.
“A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
The 41-year-old concluded the statement urging people to give Payne “the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last”.
Her statement came after Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said she was at a “complete loss” following his death.
“Nothing about the past few days have felt real,” she said in a post on her Instagram story.
“Liam, my angel, you are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
Meanwhile music mogul Simon Cowell said he was “truly devastated” after the death of the singer, adding that he also felt “heartbroken” and “empty”.
Payne found fame alongside Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles when The X Factor creator Cowell put them together to form One Direction on the ITV talent show in 2010.
“Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram.
The 65-year-old titan of the music industry said his son Bear “will be so proud of everything you achieved, and how you achieved it”.
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Cowell telling him to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010 he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
“I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t,” Cowell said.
He also said that Payne had visited him last year where they “reminisced about all of the fun times we had together”.
“After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago,” he added.
It came after Horan was the last bandmate to share a touching tribute, saying he will “cherish every moment” he had with Payne “forever”.
Payne was spotted dancing at Horan’s show around two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Cassidy in Argentina.
English (US) ·