Liam Payne’s 1D bandmates, Cheryl, Simon Cowell and more mourn singer

LONDON (AP) — Friends, collaborators and fellow musicians have expressed shock and sadness over the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday at age 31.

A look at some of the reactions:

__

“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. 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.” — the surviving members of One Direction, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik, in a statement.

“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 family, in a statement.

“Liam was not only a pop star and a celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.” — Cheryl, the Girls Aloud singer and mother of Payne's son Bear Grey Payne, on Instagram.

“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure. ... We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever.” — Horan, on Instagram.

“Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.” — Styles, on Instagram.

“A message to you Liam if you’re listening, I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.” — Tomlinson, on Instagram.

“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.” — Malik, on Instagram.

“This is so difficult to put in words right now. I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans.” — Simon Cowell, mentor to One Direction and “X Factor” judge who helped form the band, on Instagram.

“Talking about Liam in the past tense is utterly heartbreaking. He was such a loving and kind soul. I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him.” — James Corden, on Instagram.

“I’m devastated. He had the kindest soul, I will never forget. I loved working with him so much – he was just such a joy to be around on and off stage.” — singer Rita Ora on X.

“Just a boy.” — Anne Twist, mother of Styles, posted on Instagram with a broken-heart emoji.

“We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,” — “X Factor” official account, on X.

“I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne. It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.” — Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, on X.

“I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.” — singer Charlie Puth, who wrote a song for Payne’s solo debut album, on Instagram.

“So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.” — Paris Hilton, on X.

“We greatly appreciate the compassion and kindness he always showed to people facing hunger and hardship. His death is a very tragic loss, and our thoughts are with his loved ones.” — Emma Revie, chief executive of the U.K. food bank charity Trussell Trust, in a statement.

“R.I.P. Liam Payne wow I can’t believe it prayers up for the family.” — rapper Juicy J, who had Payne sing on the 2016 track “You,” on X.

“RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking.” — producer and DJ Zedd, who collaborated with Payne on the 2017 song “Get Low,” on X.

A picture of former One Direction singer Liam Payne adorns a memorial outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

FILE - One Direction's Zayn Malik, from left, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pictured during an interview on Capital Breakfast with Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon, in their studios in Leicester Square, in London, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, File)

FILE - Liam Payne arrives for the premiere of "The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader," at the Odeon Leicester Square, in London, Nov. 30, 2010. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

People gather outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

FILE - One Direction members, from left, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne perform on NBC's "Today" show, Nov. 13, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Liam Payne performs during the first day of BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend at Singleton Park, in Swansea, Wales, May 26, 2018. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP, File)

Liam Payne’s 1D bandmates, James Corden and more friends and musicians mourn singer

Liam Payne’s 1D bandmates, James Corden and more friends and musicians mourn singer

LONDON (AP) — With banners, bullhorns, toy tractors and an angry message, British farmers descended on Parliament on Tuesday to protest a hike in inheritance tax that they say will deal a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms.

U.K. farmers are rarely as militant as their European neighbors, and Britain has not seen large-scale protests like those that have snarled cities in France and other European countries. Now, though, farmers say they will step up their action if the government doesn’t listen.

“Everyone’s mad,” said Olly Harrison, co-organizer of a protest that aims to flood the street outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office with farmers. He said many famers “want to take to the streets and block roads and go full French.”

Organizers have urged protesters not to bring farm machinery into central London on Tuesday. Instead, children on toy tractors will lead a march around Parliament Square after a rally addressed by speakers including former “Top Gear” TV host and celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson. Another 1,800 farmers held a “mass lobby” of lawmakers nearby organized by the National Farmers’ Union.

“The human impact of this policy is simply not acceptable, it’s wrong," NFU President Tom Bradshaw told farmers gathered for the mass lobby. “It’s kicking the legs out from under British food security."

Volatile weather exacerbated by climate change, global instability and the upheaval caused by Britain’s 2020 departure from the European Union have all added to the burden on U.K. farmers. Many feel the Labour Party government’s tax change, part of an effort to raise billions of pounds to fund public services, is the last straw.

“Four out of the last five years, we’ve lost money,” said Harrison, who grows cereal crops on his family farm near Liverpool in northwest England. “The only thing that’s kept me going is doing it for my kids. And maybe a little bit of appreciation on the land allows you to keep borrowing, to keep going. But now that’s just disappeared overnight.”

The flashpoint is the government’s decision in its budget last month to scrap a tax break dating from the 1990s that exempts agricultural property from inheritance tax. From April 2026, farms worth more than 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) face a 20% tax when the owner dies and they are passed on to the next generation. That is half the 40% inheritance tax rate levied on other land and property in the U.K.

Starmer’s center-left government says the “vast majority” of farms -– about 75% -- will not be affected, and various loopholes mean that a farming couple can pass on an estate worth up to 3 million pounds ($3.9 million) to their children free of tax.

Supporters of the tax say it will recoup money from wealthy people who have bought up agricultural land as an investment, driving up the cost of farmland in the process.

“It’s become the most effective way for the super rich to avoid paying their inheritance tax,” Environment Secretary Steve Reed wrote in the Daily Telegraph, adding that high land prices were “robbing young farmers of the dream of owning their own farm.”

But the famers’ union says more than 60% of working farms could face a tax hit. And while farms may be worth a lot on paper, profits are often small. Government figures show that income for most types of farms fell in the year to the end of February 2024, in some cases by more than 70%. Average farm income ranged from about 17,000 pounds ($21,000) for grazing livestock farms to 143,000 pounds ($180,000) for specialist poultry farms.

The last decade has been turbulent for British farmers. Many farmers backed Brexit as a chance to get out of the EU’s complex and much-criticized Common Agricultural Policy. Since then, the U.K. has brought in changes such as paying farmers to restore nature and promote biodiversity, as well as for producing food.

Some farmers have welcomed those moves, but many feel goodwill was squandered through missteps by successive governments, a failure of subsidies to keep up with inflation, and new trade deals with countries including Australia and New Zealand that have opened the door to cheap imports.

National Farmers’ Union Deputy President David Exwood said the tax hike was “the final straw in a succession of tough choices and difficult situations that farmers have had to deal with.”

The government has “completely blown their trust with the industry,” he said.

The government insists it will not reconsider the inheritance tax, and its political opponents see an opportunity. The main opposition Conservative Party -– which was in government for 14 years until July -- and the hard-right populist party Reform U.K. are both championing the farmers. Some far-right groups also have backed Tuesday’s protest, though the organizers are not affiliated with them.

Harrison says the demonstration is intended as “a show of unity to the government” and an attempt to inform the public “that farmers are food producers, not tax-dodging millionaires.”

“It’s every single sector, whether you’re a landowner or a tenant, whether you’re beef, dairy, milk, cereals, veg, lettuce -- you name it, everyone has had a hammer blow from this," he said. “Every farmer is losing.”

Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, center, speaks with religious leaders during a breakfast roundtable meeting for faith leaders as part of Inter Faith Week at 10 Downing Street, in London, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Airbus in Broughton, North Wales, Friday Nov. 15, 2024. (Danny Lawson/Pool via AP)