Latest update: Liam Payne’s mother accused Kate Cassidy of plotting to kill her son because she was the one who lived with Liam Payne that night and, more notably, she… see more

Liam Payne’s mother accused Kate Cassidy of plotting to kill her son because she was the one who lived with Liam Payne that night and, more notably, she… see more

Liam Payne’s family say they are ‘heartbroken’ and say he will ‘forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul

The singer fell from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires yesterday, plunging into the courtyard before medics later confirmed his death.

A family statement 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 uncle Roger Harris also told MailOnline this afternoon: ‘We are all just deeply saddened and trying to come to terms with it. I just hope everybody gives them some privacy really and allows them to come to terms with it. That’s all I can say.’

The singer – who had been posing with fans in Buenos Aires in the hours before his death – suffered a fractured skull after falling from the third floor of Casa Sur Palmero Hotel in Argentina’s capital shortly after 5pm local time (9pm UK time) yesterday.

Another relative speaking at Payne’s family home in Wolverhampton – the city where he was born and grew up – told MailOnline: ‘We are utterly devastated by the news.’

Payne was raised in Wolverhampton by his mother Karen, a nurse, and father Geoff, a fitter. Early this morning, his older sisters, Nicola and Ruth, arrived at the house.