Ant Middleton responded to the news of his friend Liam's death during a live interview on Thursday morning.
The former One Direction member, 31, reportedly fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palmero hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after five in the afternoon on Wednesday.
Ant, 44, fought back tears as he shared some of his most memorable moments with the singer on The Morning Show.
The SAS star said Liam, who joined her to film the documentary Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking in 2019, was like a little brother to her.
They filmed the series over three days in Namibia and developed a strong bond while dodging lions, riding freight trains, and sleeping under the stars.
'We came together. He is my brother. He's like a little brother to me. He trusted me,” an excited ant held back tears.
'I'll go see him. You know, there were some problems there, but nothing that a young celebrity of her caliber wouldn't suffer from.
“So I'm in shock right now, really. I really don't know what to say.'
Ant Middleton fought back tears as he reacted to the news of his friend Liam Payne's death during a live interview on Thursday morning.
Ant and Liam meet first Mark Wahlberg's Wahlberg's Restaurant in Covent Garden, London.
Ant previously told The Standard that they often meet up for coffee. Talk about each other's children.
He explained that he could communicate Being part of the biggest boy band of the century, Liam's loneliness and struggle to re-enter the civilian world.
At the time, Liam revealed how he would trust Ant: “I've told Ant pretty much everything,” he admitted.
“I think it was a release for both of us in the situation we were in. And there were things I hadn't talked about before.
The SAS star said Liam, who joined her to film the documentary Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking in 2019, was like a little brother to her.
They spent three days filming the series in Namibia and developed a strong bond dodging lions, traveling on freight trains and sleeping under the stars.
The documentary forced long, honest discussions about fatherhood, alcoholism and the relationships between the two famous men.
The couple has no cameras, cell service or fans.
During their time together, Liam admitted to Ant that becoming a father at 23 “confused him.”
'cheryls [Cole] He is still the most important person in my life,” he said in the documentary about his ex-partner and mother of his son Bear.
“They say the age you enter fame is the age you leave it,” Liam added in the now disturbing comments as he reflected on the lasting effects of One Direction.
“I'm lucky to still be here.”
The documentary sparked long, honest discussions about fatherhood, alcoholism, and the relationships between the two famous men.
Liam reportedly fell from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, around 5 pm (ART) on Wednesday.
Alberto Crescenti, a spokesman for the city's ambulance service provider, said Payne fell 40 meters and suffered “serious, non-life-threatening injuries.”
'At 5:04 pm local time, the alarm was raised about a man lying in a yard in South Gaza. An ambulance arrived at 5:11 pm and the man was pronounced dead.
Crescenti added: 'We later discovered that he was a famous singer. Unfortunately, his injuries from the fall proved fatal. There is no possibility of resuscitating him.'
The Night Changes singer attended his former bandmate Niall Horannot's concert earlier this month.
Ant previously told The Standard that they regularly drink coffee and chat about each other's children.
In 2008, Liam began his music career aged 14 in front of The X Factor judges Simon Kovalzeril, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue.
He was fired from the series, but returned in 2010, joining forces with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form the boy band One Direction.
The group finished third on The X Factor and became a global sensation with hits such as What Makes You Beautiful and Live While You're Young.
Following Malik's departure from the group, the band released five studio albums, including Up All Night (2011), Midnight Memories (2013), and Made in the AM (2015).
In 2016, One Direction went on an endless hiatus.
Liam reportedly fell from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, around 5 pm (ART) on Wednesday.
Over the years, Liam also had health problems and struggled with alcoholism and suicidal thoughts.
In 2021, during the CEO Diary podcast, he spoke about his suffering from depression and substance abuse during his time with One Direction.
“I was worried about how far my fund was going to go. Where is the bottom for me? And you wouldn't have seen it. I'm good at hiding it. Nobody would have seen it.
When asked if Liam's dark thoughts included “suicidal thoughts,” the singer said “yes.”
'Yeah. There are certain things I will never talk about. It was very, very, very hard. That was a problem. It wasn't until I saw myself after that that I thought, “Okay, I have to get ready.”
Payne remembers seeing photos of him looking “bloated,” labeled “pill and alcohol face.”
My face was 10 times bigger than it is now. I didn't like it very much and then I made a change.
Over the years, Liam struggled with health problems, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts; Seen in London in 2021
Payne was hospitalized with a serious kidney infection in August last year while on a trip to Lake Como in Italy.
The illness led him to cancel his tour of South America to give him time to recover and at that time he shared the news on social media.
“It is with great regret that I have to tell you that I have no choice but to postpone my tour of South America.”
He added: “I have been in hospital for the last week with a serious kidney infection, something I wouldn't wish on anyone, and doctors' orders are for me to rest and recover now.”
'I was very excited to come play for you. To everyone who bought tickets: I'm sorry.'
Following his hospitalization, relatives told The Sun that Payne had “struggled” to continue coping with his years with “One Direction.”
Following his hospitalization, concerned friends told The Sun that Payne was “struggling” to cope with his years with One Direction; I saw him in London in 2010.
“It's not a big surprise: His lifestyle has been on a downward spiral for a while,” a friend told the outlet.
Liam had problems in the band due to the heavy workload and attention.
“He was a normal guy before One Direction, so living in this bubble was strange to him and the restrictions really took a toll on him,” the source continued.
Their partying since the band's hiatus may have been a reaction to this.
