Liam Payne's family share painful way they spent his first birthday after tragic death

Liam Payne's family shared a heartbreaking tribute to him on his first birthday after his death. Over the weekend, the musicianwho found fame as One Direction would have been celebrating his 32nd birthday with his nearest and dearest.

Tragically, Liam died aged 31 in October 2024, just weeks after celebrating his birthday. While holidaying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Liam fell to his death from his third-floor hotel balcony. His body was tragically discovered at an internal patio of the Casa Sur Hotel, with the musician suffering "very serious injuries incompatible with life."

But with the first anniversary of Liam's death approaching, his family united over the weekend to celebrate his birthday, enjoying activities that Liam loved. But their plans were tainted with heartache, with Liam's 37-year-old sister Nicola, revealing that last year, they were "full of hope" and excitement over his future.

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Taking to her Instagram Stories, she explained that the whole family had headed to one of Liam's favourite places, a bowling alley, to celebrate his life. "A year later same bowling alley, different lanes, one huge part of our family missing," she said, while sharing a snap of the scoreboard, revealing the names of the family who had ventured out.

Taking to her Instagram Grid on Liam's birthday, Nicola shared a heartbreaking post alongside a string of snaps of Liam over the years, including his One Direction days. She wrote: "A year ago today, we were so full of hope and excitement for what the years ahead would bring you. That night, celebrating your birthday with bowling and McDonald’s, we celebrated you, your show, your dreams, and spoke of all the plans you had for the future.

"We ended the evening with a hug, telling you how proud we were and how much we loved you. If I had known that would be the last time I’d see you, I would have said so much more. I wish I could step into a time machine and relive that night and hug you tighter, capture your smile and voice, ask more questions, and write it all down so I'd never forget. I hope you're happy, at peace, and know how deeply you are loved. I miss you every single day, and I don’t think there will ever be a day that I don’t.

"So today, on your birthday, I want to wish you the happiest heavenly birthday. Wherever you are, I hope you're celebrating and hopefully you've scored a few strikes too. Love you always."

Nicola's post, which has been liked over 71,000 times, was flooded with support from fans and friends. Liam's ex-girlfriend Sophia Smith commented: "Big hugs," alongside a heart emoji. One fan added: "Sending you so much love, he's definitely looking down on you with a big smile on his face."

"Heavenly Birthday to Liam. We Love and Miss you so much! Sending hugs and love to the Payne family," commented another. Meanwhile, a third went on to write: "I hope Liam has the most beautiful angelic birthday and feels how much his family, fans and friends love him..."

Liam's love of bowling was so well known that at his funeral, a floral decoration of bowling pins and a ball was on display outside the church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Elsewhere, Liam's cousin, Ross Harris, took to social media to share a moving message on his birthday, which also marked the last time he saw his cousin. Ross said: "Because of how life goes, we hadn't managed to celebrate many of our Birthdays together - another of the many somethings I regret - but last year we did, both Birthday in one summer. Just like we were 12 years old again.

"You'd had a nice few days. You'd been celebrated by the few good people around you. It was the final day of shooting Building The Band and I managed to make it in time to see the last few hours of shooting... 'Looking good in blue birthday boy!' You had an early flight after the wrap party so we decided to stay up. I didn't have an early flight, but a part of me knew I couldn't leave.

"We sat up till about 5am - a rare few hours alone - just two lads, all grown up (sort of) talking about life, listening to the music we'd been writing, and making plans...so many plans...(and then finished the night frantically packing your suitcase). I gave you your birthday present - a new WBA shirt with 'PAYNE 93′ on the back. I'll never forget the shock on your face when you opened it; the boyish shock that you could still receive a nice surprise - it seems they were few and far between. A shock that broke my heart a little and has stuck with me since.

"It's now been a whole year since that birthday. A whole year since I've seen my young cousins face. The truth is, I sort of struggle to look at that face now. I will today though, so I can wish you a Happy Birthday."

Meanwhile, Liam's girlfriend Kate Cassidy was in tears as she shared a video of herself baking a cake for Liam's birthday this weekend. The American influencer, 26, filmed herself crying as she baked for Liam, who was known for having a sweet tooth. On Friday, the blonde beauty posted a video of herself baking Liam a birthday cake, admitting that she's not the best baker. Alongside the video, she wrote: "Happy birthday Liam. I know you still have the sweetest tooth in heaven. I’m not very good at baking these days."

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