Louis Walsh clearly distraught and barely able to speak about 'awful' Liam Payne death

Heartbroken has spoken for the first time after tragic death in Argentina.

died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday evening, and are being investigated by local authorities. Photos of the singer’s hotel room, which were taken by Argentine officials, show it in a state of chaos, with half-finished glasses of champagne, a smashed TV screen and debris on the floors and in the bathroom.

Louis, 72, was one of the judges on The when competed on the show in 2010, and the Irish music mogul was also on the judging panel when at the age of 14 in 2008. Louis was asked to comment on Liam’s death by the Irish , but he was too distraught to talk about it. “No, (I'm) saying nothing. It's awful.”

Fellow X Factor judge , who was reportedly close to the Strip That Down hitmaker, has yet to release a statement on the singer’s shock death, while Sharon Osbourne took to social media to apologise for not protecting him when he was just a teenager. “Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them?” she wrote. “You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the . Who was in your corner? Rest in peace, my friend.”

Liam’s devastated former bandmates paid tribute to their “brother” in an emotional statement on Thursday, just hours after news of his tragic death emerged. “We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,” the joint statement from , Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson read. “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. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam,” it read. Louis was the first One Direction member to post a separate tribute to his beloved bandmate and friend, closely followed by Zayn, who acknowledged the duo’s rocky relationship over the years, but insisted Liam was always family.

“There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro,” the Pillow Talk hitmaker wrote. Harry took to social media late on Thursday to share his own dedication to Liam, as he praised him for being “warm, supportive and incredibly loving.” Alongside a snap of Liam on stage with One Direction, the Watermelon Sugar singer added: “I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”

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