The family of Liam Payne have issued a statement following the singer's shock death yesterday at the age of just 31.

The One Direction star was discovered dead at his Buenos Aires hotel on Wednesday evening after falling three floors from an interior balcony for reasons that are currently unknown.

Shortly after the news emerged, Payne's parents Karen and Geoff were pictured leaving their Wolverhampton home - potentially to travel to Argentina - while his elder sisters Nicola and Ruth remained at the property.

A statement issued on behalf of the family today said: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.

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

Payne's former bandmates have yet to make a public statement following the tragic development, while his old boss Simon Cowell cancelled today's Britain's Got Talent auditions as a mark of respect.