The statement, posted on Instagram, continued: “All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a litetime.
“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”
Horan was the final member of One Direction to post an individual statement on the passing of 31-year-old Payne.
The band, which got together in 2010 on The X Factor, posted a joint statement on Thursday evening, in which they said they needed time “to grieve and process the loss of our brother”.