Liam Payne Remembered as 'Kindest Soul' by 'Devastated' Wife of Late The Wanted Star Tom Parker 

"I will never forget the love and support," Kelsey Parker wrote about Payne's help for her family after her husband's 2022 death

tom parker london 05 10 16, liam payne london 12 05 22
Tom Parker and Liam Payne. Photo:

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Tom Parker's wife Kelsey is remembering Liam Payne following his death at age 31.

The former One Direction star died on Wednesday, Oct. 16 after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, over two years after Kelsey's husband Tom died in March 2022 following a stage four glioblastoma diagnosis. The Wanted singer was 33.

Payne was among the guests that supported Parker's band members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes and Jay McGuiness, as well as Kelsey and her family at his funeral in April 2022.

Paying tribute to the former One Direction singer, Kelsey posted a black-and-white photo on Instagram on Thursday, Oct.17, saying she was "devastated" after "hearing the news."

"Liam you were one of the kindest souls who supported Tom and I. You’ve continued to support me and the children in recent years ❤️," she wrote in the caption.

"I will never forget the love and support you showed to us," Kelsey continued. "I really hope you have found peace 🙏🏻✨ My thoughts are with your fam."

Kelsey also offered a reminder to fans to remember "life is too damn short."

"SO LOVE A LITTLE DEEPER, HUG A LITTLE TIGHTER, AND NEVER PASS UP THE CHANCE TO SAY 'I LOVE YOU' TO THOSE YOU LOVE BECAUSE TOMORROW IS NEVER PROMISED. 🙏🏻✨❤️," Kelsey captioned another post, adding One Direction's 2012 track "Little Things" in the background.

The Wanted band member Max George was among those paying tribute on Instagram, praising Payne for helping him following the death of Tom.

tom kelsey parker london 10 30 21
Tom and Kelsey Parker.

David Fisher/Shutterstock

"Absolutely devastating news," he wrote alongside multiple photos. "I met Liam way back when 1D were on X Factor. Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him."

"Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer," he shared.

"He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that," George continued, adding: "My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans all around the world at this tragic time. Rest in Peace Liam. Much love brother 🖤."

"This hurts. He was so supportive at Tom's funeral. RIP you kind soul," The Wanted band member Kaneswaran wrote on his Instagram Stories, adding a prayer and a red love heart emoji.

Payne's One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn MalikNiall Horan and Louis Tomlinson are yet to comment on social media.

liam payne tom parker funeral orpington 04 20 22
Liam Payne attends Tom Parker's funeral on April 20, 2022.

GC Images/GC Images

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

However, Styles' mom, Anne Twist, shared a moving three-word tribute alongside a broken heart emoji on Instagram.

"Just a boy … 💔," she wrote.

Comments
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. PEOPLE does not endorse the opinions and views shared by readers in our comment sections.

Related Articles