Pictures of Liam Payne never before seen by the public were revealed today as his heartbroken sister shared an emotional tribute to the One Direction star.
Liam’s older sister Ruth shared a series of candid snaps of the British singer enjoying life with his family behind closed doors in a heartbreaking post on Instagram following his death.
The 33-year-old, who admitted she is ‘struggling’ to cope with the loss of her ‘best friend’, unveiled a number of heartwarming pictures of her brother as she reflected on their ‘incredible memories’ together.
It included photos of Liam and Ruth laughing together uncontrollably, embracing each other on her wedding day and another of the 31-year-old spending time with his adoring nephew.
Ruth is one of two older sisters to Liam, making him the youngest of three siblings in the tight-knit family, who on Thursday said they were ‘heartbroken’ by his death.
Liam Payne ‘s heartbroken sister Ruth shared this previously unseen picture of her and her brother following his death earlier this week
Liam had two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth, making him the youngest of three siblings. Liam is pictured with Ruth on her wedding day in 2022
Another picture shared by Ruth shows the 31-year-old spending time with his adoring nephew
In an emotional tribute on Instagram , the singer’s older sister Ruth revealed she is ‘struggling’ to cope with the loss of her ‘best friend’
Ruth wrote on her Instagram earlier today: ‘I don’t believe this is happening. Many times I have poured my heart out publicly with pride about Liam but never much about life as his sister.
‘Liam is my best friend, no one could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.’
Ruth revealed she learned how to drive after Liam got through to the X Factor live shows when he was 17 as she ‘couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to get to him’.
She continued: ‘I would regularly drive to have tea with him after I finished work, just to sit around. One month the hotel was right by a wagamamas and I swear he had it morning, noon and night!
‘I used to love picking him up from work when it all started especially after concerts, speeding us away from venues and appearances, Liam plugging in his phone to show me the new songs for his albums.
‘Liam loved 1D, he loved his brothers and we talked about it so much. He would just play song after song that had been recorded but never used and we’d sit having a mini 1D concert.
‘Liam knew he could call me anytime, any day and I would pick up or that I would always fetch him if he needed to just come home. Our calls would often result in me laughing at his ideas and next adventure, talking through his plans and working through his issues but it would always end with ‘love you miss you’ ‘love you ru.’
‘Liam was born with music in his veins, it was clear from a very young age he just had that quality that would make him a star. I could sit and listen to him sing all day, which is a good job really because he never bloody stopped!
Liam’s sister Ruth is seen here in one picture laughing with her brother on a sofa
Another picture shared by Ruth on her Instagram shows Liam and Ruth posing with other members of their family
Liam is pictured donning a Spiderman costume as he lies on a sofa and gestures towards the camera. It is one of several unseen pictures of the star shared by his sister Ruth
Liam and Ruth embrace each other in a heartwarming picture from her wedding day in 2022
Liam is pictured with his mother, father and two sisters. The singer’s family paid tribute to the 31-year-old on Thursday, saying they were ‘heartbroken’ following his death
Liam is pictured with his mother Karen and father Geoff after the X Factor final in 2010
‘I will never tire of the look he gives when showing new songs, ‘listen loud’ he’d say and just grin with pride of his work.
‘I keep notes on my phone ‘things to tell Liam’ so that if he was away working for a while, I’d know what I needed to update him on. I suppose it’s only right I tell him now.’
Speaking to her brother directly, she continued: ‘Liam, my brain is struggling to catch up with what’s happening and I don’t understand where you’ve gone.
‘What I do 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 don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to 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. 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.’
It comes as Liam’s father Geoff Payne landed in Argentina yesterday and visited the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, where the British star was found dead.
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.
The father of One Direction pop singer Liam Payne, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, arrived in Argentina on Friday
Geoff Payne visits the CasaSur Palermo hotel where his son was found dead
Geoff Payne, father of the late British musician Liam Payne, visits the CasaSur Palermo hotel where his son tragically fell from balcony
Geoff Payne, father of former One Direction band member Liam Payne, waves to people outside the hotel where Liam Payne was found dead
The singer was pronounced dead at the scene after falling 45ft from the balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.
Tributes have flooded in for the popstar from millions of friends and fans of Payne, including the mother of his child Cheryl Cole.
The Girls Aloud singer was previously in a relationship with him for two years, with the pair welcoming Bear into the world on March 22, 2017.
The grieving mother has taken to Instagram telling of her anguish as she tries ‘navigate this earth shattering event’.
Her statement read: ‘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.
‘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 seven year old son.
‘A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.’
Before his sudden death at around 5pm (ART) , the pop star had been attending his former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour in the Latin American country.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing at the concert with his current partner Kate Cassidy.
Geoff Payne stands near a makeshift memorial outside the hotel where his son Liam Payne was found dead
Geoff Payne waves to fans of his son Liam Payne as he visits a memorial outside the hotel where the One Direction star died
Liam Payne’s father Geoff Payne takes a bracelet with the words ‘I ❤️ One Direction’ while visiting a shrine outside the hotel where his son died
Geoff Payn visits the CasaSur Palermo hotel where his son tragically fell to his death
Mourning fans of Liam Payne embrace after Geoff Payne, father of Liam, visited the memorial
Fans of former One Direction singer Liam Payne grieve outside the Casa Sur Hotel where the British pop singer fell to his death
Following the gig, to fans delight he posted a picture with Niall to Snapchat captioned: ‘Reunited.’
Kate also broke her silence on Friday after his tragic death. She took to Instagram to express her saddness, as she told her followers ‘I have been at a complete loss’, ‘nothing feels real’.
The 25-year-old wrote that she will love her ‘angel’ ‘for the rest of her life’, adding in the tribute ‘444’ which is considered an angel number in numerology.
Kate and Liam first started dating in October 2022, and made their red carpet debut at the Fashion Awards later that year.
Just days before his death, Kate shared a touching post, dedicated to the singer.
The blonde beauty took a snap of the popstar riding horseback in the countryside. Liam could be seen wearing a casual grey T-shirt as he sat on the horse and spoke to someone who appeared to be helping him.
Over the picture, Kate wrote: ‘I am very grateful for the simple things in life’.
Before the singer’s death, he had shared a final Snapchat post showed him happily posing with Kate as they looked into a mirror. A picture originally taken last August.
The Girls Aloud singer was previously in a relationship with Payne for two years, with the pair welcoming their child Bear Grey into the world on March 22, 2017
Liam Payne arrives for a film premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in November 2010
Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy posted a picture of the pair on her Instagram from last August
The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, Niall, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson; (L-R) Liam, Niall, Louis, Zayn and Harry in 2013
Several witnesses said Payne had fallen from his room at the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel shortly after 5pm (ART) Wednesday evening; he is seen in 2018
Liam began his pursuit to stardom when he initially auditioned for X Factor in 2008.
At only 14-years-old Liam impressed judges with his own version of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra – but was later eliminated from the show.
However Payne gave his singing career another go auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly shot to fame as part of One Direction.
He and his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, were brought together by music mogul Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the four singers said they were ‘completely devastated’ by the death of their bandmate.
‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.
‘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. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’