The former One Direction member, 31, fell from the third floor of CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm on Wednesday evening.

And taking to Instagram on Friday, singer Ed, 33, who co-wrote Liam’s debut solo single Strip That Down, penned a sweet note for his pal, admitting he was at a ‘loss for words’ over his death.

Ed also took the opportunity to urge people to ‘be kind’ as he shared a black and white snap of the late singer.

He wrote: ‘At a loss for words. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heartbreaking situation. Be kind. X.’

Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the tragic death of Liam Payne, sharing a heartfelt tribute to the late star

The former One Direction member , 31, fell from the third floor of CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm on Wednesday evening

Taking to Instagram on Friday, singer Ed, 33, who co-wrote Liam’s debut solo single Strip That Down, penned a sweet note for his pal, admitting he was at a ‘loss for words’ over his death

Ed had earlier taken to his Instagram stories to acknowledge Liam’s passing, adding a simple red heart emoji to One Direction’s statement on Liam’s death.

Ed has long had a close bond with Liam and the One Direction boys, have written four of their songs, including the 2012 number one track Little Things.

Five years later, he collaborated with Liam, helping to pen the singer’s first solo track Strip That Down, which was a huge success worldwide.

At the time, Liam told how ‘blessed’ her felt that Ed chose to work with him.

Speaking to Nick Grimshaw on Radio 1, he shared: ‘Honestly, I feel so blessed and honoured that he wanted to write a song for me and I just want to say thank you to him I guess more than anything.

‘It’s amazing, I’m humble. The fact that he even wanted to bother working with us, spending his time.’

The pair remained friends after working together, with Liam going on to praise Ed as a ‘top boy’ in a chat with Z100 in 2017.

He shared: ‘Obviously he wrote my first single, top boy. He’s literally one of the nicest human beings around. And everyone’s got either a crazy party experience or just a really nice experience. I have both.’

Ed had earlier taken to his Instagram stories to acknowledge Liam’s passing, adding a simple red heart emoji to One Direction’s statement on Liam’s death.

He wrote: ‘At a loss for words. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heartbreaking situation. Be kind. X’

Ed has long had a close bond with Liam and the One Direction boys, have written four of their songs, including the 2012 number one track Little Things (One Direction pictured in 2010)

Liam then went on to share a humorous story in which he found himself in a lift with Ed, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and his parents.

He explained: ‘I got in a lift once, my parents were there, this is a really random story. It was a party we had just done a gig for and he joined us on stage. And Taylor Swift was in the lift. I was in the lift, Harry was in the lift, Ed Sheeran, and my parents.

‘And the lift was going up and he just kept going turning around to me going, “Bass.” And that’s all he was saying. “Bass.” So that’s one of my favorite party stories.’

Five years later, he collaborated with Liam, helping to pen the singer’s first solo track Strip That Down, which was a huge success worldwide

At the time, Liam told how ‘blessed’ her felt that Ed chose to work with him

One Direction found superstardom after appearing on the UK factor in 2010 and went on to sell a whopping 70M records worldwide.

They won almost 200 awards, including 7 Brit Awards, 4 MTV Music Awards, 6 Billboard Music Awards, 7 American Music Awards, and 28 Kids’ Choice Award.

Breaking their silence with a joint statement following Liam’s passing, the band said they were ‘completely devastated’ by his death.

It read: ‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say, 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.

Breaking their silence with a joint statement following Liam’s passing, the band said they were ‘completely devastated’ by his death (pictured in 2010)

‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’

Harry, Louis and Zayn then went on to pen their own heartbreaking tributes to Liam.

Liam died in Buenos Aires after falling from a hotel. Several witnesses said Payne had fallen from his room at the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel shortly after 5pm (ART) Wednesday evening.

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

The popstar had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Niall Horan’s concert

A heartbreaking video shows Liam singing and dancing at Horan’s concert in Argentina just days before he was found dead

Payne’s haunting final social media post showed him spending time with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy

The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32.

The popstar had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Horan‘s concert.

Local police have since launched an investigation into the sudden death, as tributes flood in the wake of the tragedy.

A statement from local police said they arrived to the hotel after they were ‘informed of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol’.

Officials heard a loud sound in the courtyard before discovering his body just after 5pm, reported the BBC.

According to TMZ, Liam ‘had been acting erratic in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop’ before he ‘had to be carried back to his room’.

Police had received a call from a worker at the hotel requesting urgent help with an intoxicated guest, according to audio related to the case obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry.

The singer’s family told DailyMail.com afterwards that they are ‘utterly devastated’ by his death [Liam pictured in 2023]

‘When he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone,’ the worker said.

Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescenti said Liam had suffered ‘very serious injuries after falling from a third floor into an internal courtyard’.

‘We verified his identity using the passport he had,’ he said.

‘Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’

Mr Crescenti told Argentine newspaper Clarin that ‘the team saw that he apparently had a fracture at the base of the skull’.

His body was transported to a local morgue where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

Unverified pictures have since emerged online claiming to be Liam’s hotel room completely trashed with one image showing a smashed television screen.

The singer’s family told DailyMail.com afterwards that they are ‘utterly devastated’ by his death.

‘We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,’ they added in a statement.

‘We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.’