Sharon Osbourne says ‘we all let you down’ in emotional statement following Liam Payne’s death

Sharon Osbourne has released an ‘honest’ and emotional statement in the wake of Liam Payne’s death, admitting: “We all let you down.”

The One Direction singer died after falling from a balcony at the hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He had been in Argentina to attend a show of former bandmate Niall Horan earlier this month, having been seen dancing in the crowd alongside girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

Tributes have since come flooding in from the star, with his former bandmates saying in a joint statement that they felt 'completely devastated' by Payne's death.

Former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has now spoken out, paying tribute to the late star on Instagram.

Sharon Osbourne paid tribute on Instagram (Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)

Sharing a black and white photo of Payne, she wrote: “Liam, my heart aches.

“We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them? You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner?

“Rest in peace my friend.”

Osbourne was praised for her candid tribute to Payne, with one fan commenting: “This is probably the most honest thing anyone could say. A lot of respect. So sad.”

Someone else agreed: “You're right Ms. O. Something needs to be done to protect young people in the music industry. They should pursue their dreams, but they need to be looked after and protected."

Payne rose to fame when he was a teenager, having first appeared on the hit music contest when he was 14, performing Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me To The Moon' before sailing through to the next round.

Upon reaching the judge's houses, however, he was advised to return to school and audition some years later.

Two years later, he re-auditioned - selecting Michael Buble's 'Cry Me A River' as his song - and was eventually joined with fellow soloists Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan to create One Direction.

The group became one of the biggest bands in the world (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

While the group came third overall, they went on to become one of the most successful bands in the world, selling 70 million records before going on hiatus in 2016.

Payne had previously discussed the difficulties he faced being thrown into the limelight at such a young age, telling the BBC in a 2019 interview that he had been ‘very confused about fame when it all happened’.

"Learning to be a person outside of your job was difficult," he added.

Addressing his ‘erratic behaviour’ at the time One Direction broke up, he admitted: "I was partying too hard."

However, when asked if he would prefer not to have ever auditioned all those years ago, he said: "I wouldn't change it. I know it's where I'm supposed to be in the world now.”