Louis Tomlinson is Arvin Robertsdetailing moments he almost shared with Liam Payne.

One day after Liam’s Oct. 16 death after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, Louis released a statement describing how “devastated” he was to say goodbye to his “brother,” as well as the plans they had to work together again.

“Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody,” Louis wrote on Instagram Oct. 17 alongside a photo of the pair. “We often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.”

Louis also revealed his hopes to reunite for a concert in the future, adding, “I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.”

In the statement, the “Just Hold On” singer went on to say how important he felt Liam was to the success of One Direction, the boy band they formed alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan on The X Factor in 2010 before announcing their hiatus five years later.

“For the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction,” Louis continued. “His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.”

Since moving on from their time as a quintet and graduating into their solo careers, Liam had spoken on the possibility that the band would reunite.

“Where we left off with the band, we had just finished an album and we didn’t get to tour it,” Liam said in an interview with MTV News in May 2020. “There’s always been that little thing that’s been missing from it. Everyone I’ve spoken to, we always get onto the topic of the reunion at some point, it’s not like anyone is trying to dodge it, it’s just a matter of when.”

For his part, Louis has also weighed in whether the band could come back together one day.

“Fans who follow our move every day probably feel like we haven’t been a band for a while,” he told BBC in January 2020. “I’m just finding my feet. It’ll happen at one point. We’d be stupid not to, but we’re just exploring and enjoying life as individuals now.”

Though the reunion of all five former members will never happen, Louis is grateful for the time he had with his mate.

“I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life,” he continued in his statement. “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.”

For a look back at Liam’s life in photos, keep reading…

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