“Just a Boy” – Tribute to Liam Payne, who has died aged 31

Celebrities have paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne following his “devastating” death aged 31.

The pop star, who rose to fame in 2010 on “The X Factor,” died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police said.

Following his death at around 5pm (9pm BST; 8pm GMT) on Wednesday, stars expressed their shock and posted memories of the father, who had a son, Bear, with his former Girls Aloud partner Cheryl -Star shared.

Dermot O'Leary, who was hosting The X Factor when Liam performed, posted a photo of the couple on stage and captioned the Instagram post: “The worst news.”

“I remember him auditioning for The X Factor as a 14-year-old and blowing us away with his Sinatra singing. “He just loved to sing,” he wrote.

“He was always a joy, had time for everyone, was polite, grateful and always humble.”

Liam was one of five members of One Direction, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles.

Harry's mother Anne Twist also paid tribute, posting a broken heart emoji on Instagram with the caption: “Just a boy.”

Singer Olly Murs, who starred in The X Factor a year before One Direction, said he was “speechless” and described Payne's death as “devastating” on Instagram.

Olly said: “We always laughed a lot when we saw each other, sometimes the conversations were short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how awfully good his hair always looked or about our love for Becks , the old XF.” (X Factor) days and the tour together.

“Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams. It hits me hard to see his life end so young. I am truly disappointed and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear who has lost a father.”

Wanted star Max George described his death as “absolutely devastating news”.

“Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spending quality time with him,” he said on Instagram.

“When Tom (Parker) fell ill, Liam was an absolutely amazing support when he performed with us at the Royal Albert Hall for Stand Up To Cancer.

“He gave me a lot of personal support after Tom died. I’ll never forget that.”

US singer Charlie Puth, co-writer of Payne's 2017 song “Bedroom Floor”, said he was in “shock” following Payne's death.

Charlie posted pictures of the pair working together with the caption: “Liam has always been so nice to me.”

“He was one of the first great artists I had the opportunity to work with. I can’t believe he’s gone… I’m so upset right now, may he rest in peace.”

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Socialite Paris Hilton also paid tribute to X, calling the singer's death “so disturbing.”

DJ and music producer Zedd, who appeared alongside Payne on the 2017 song “Get Low,” described the singer's death as “absolutely heartbreaking.”

American singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign said he would “miss” Payne and captioned videos and pictures on his Instagram Story saying, “I just spoke to you two days ago my man.”