Zayn Malik's Sister Hoped That Liam Payne's Death Was "Fake News" When She Heard It

On Oct. 16, former One Direction member Liam Payne died when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. He was 31 years old. Following the news of his unexpected death, those closest to Liam and other former members of the British boy band shared their thoughts and condolences on social media, including Zayn Malik's sister, who shared her reaction to Liam's death on X.

Like Liam, Zayn was a founding member of One Direction. The men formed the band when they were just teenagers. As a result, they grew up together, and their families got to know each other. This includes Zayn's sister, who shared a dated photo of herself and Liam in her post on X, following the singer's passing.

Once the news broke about Liam's death, Zayn's sister, Waliyha Azad, posted about it on X. She initially wrote in a post, "I hope it's fake news." Not long after, she followed up that X post with another that included a photo of herself and Liam.

"I can't believe it, I honestly have no words for this sad moment," she wrote in her X post. "I really can't believe it."

Immediately following the news breaking of Liam's death, there was no official cause of death given. And there was no confirmation on whether Liam’s fall was accidental or not, though there were questions from some about what happened, especially as Liam had posted on social media not long before his death.

In the years leading up to his passing, Liam was vocal about alcoholism and his recovery.

"I just kind of feel like I've got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me. I just feel like I've got more of a handle on it," he said in a July 2023 YouTube video. "I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself, actually, because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore. And I'm sure you guys didn't either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work."