Liam Payne had two special fans in his life: his sisters Nicola and Ruth.
The former One Direction member, who died after falling from a hotel balcony on October 16, grew up in Wolverhampton, England, with his two siblings. Born on August 29, 1993, Liam was the youngest of the three siblings, but they all grew up with a special bond.
"Siblings are your best friends for life," Ruth captioned an Instagram photo of the three siblings in December 2012.
Ruth and Nicola have been enthusiastic supporters of Liam's career, from attending the film premiere of One Direction: This Is Us to promoting his solo album LP1. They also continued to support Liam's bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan - even after One Direction split in 2016.
In an Instagram post for National Siblings Day in April 2014, Ruth said she would "take care of them forever".
After his sudden death, the family released a statement to several media outlets, including the BBC, saying they were "heartbroken". The statement continued: "We support each other as best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space during this terrible time."
Here's everything you need to know about Liam Payne's sisters Nicola and Ruth.
They grew up in Wolverhampton, England.
The three siblings grew up in Wolverhampton, England, with their parents Geoff, a fitter (who assembles or installs machines), and Karen, a kindergarten teacher. The family wasn't always in the spotlight as much as they are now; although Liam had a "good" childhood, "there wasn't a lot of money," he told British newspaper The Times in November 2019.
In an interview with Hits Radio in September 2021, Liam reminisced about his childhood, recalling that one of his sisters had a Girls Aloud poster hanging in her room. Cheryl Cole, Liam's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child Bear, is a former member of the band.
"I remember it well, it should have been mine," he joked.
All about Liam Payne's parents, mum Karen and dad Geoff Payne
Liam's sisters are both married and have children
Both of Liam's sisters have now started families of their own.
Ruth married Thomas Gibbins in June 2016 and Liam was part of the wedding party. They became parents when they welcomed their son, Ashton Gibbins, in October 2017.
"He brings a very different set of qualities and challenges to life, but he has made me the mum I was always meant to be," Ruth wrote on Instagram in October 2022.
Meanwhile, Nicola married Nick Farnell and welcomed their daughter Ffion in June 2020.
„Ich fühle mich jeden Tag geehrt, deine Mami zu sein und kann es manchmal immer noch nicht glauben, dass dieses wunderschöne, lustige, freche kleine Mädchen meins ist!!!“ schrieb Nicola im März 2021 auf Instagram.
Laut Nicolas Instagram haben Ruth und Thomas Nicola und Nick im Mai 2018 gebeten, die Paten von Ashton zu werden.
„Natürlich haben wir ja gesagt, es ist uns eine Freude und eine absolute Ehre!!! 👶🏻🥂☺️“, betitelte Nicola den Post.
Nicola and Ruth supported the members of One Direction even after the band split
Even though One Direction have gone their separate ways, Liam's sisters have continued to show their support for the other members of the boy band.
Ruth captioned a highlight on her Instagram page, "Harry LOT," which includes footage from attending Styles' Love on Tour in June 2022 with her mother.
"My mum and I have both been saying how much Harry hasn't changed from the cheeky 16-year-old we met all those years ago! Thank you Harry for such an amazing show!" she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
In another Instagram Stories post, she wrote: "I never expected to get emotional (and by emotional I mean cry) when the crowd sings 'Best Song Ever' before the show and also the cars drive by after singing many 1D songs, it may have been years ago but we are all still huge 1D fans."
In August 2024, Ruth and Nicola attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour together at Wembley Stadium in London. Nicola wrote on Instagram that they've "waited what feels like an eternity to sing and dance with 92,000 people to songs they love and have always loved!"
They're both dog moms
In addition to being moms to Ashton and Ffion, both Nicola and Ruth are also proud dog moms. Nicola frequently shares photos of her dog Kingsley on social media, while Ruth often posts about her two dogs Brit and Loki.
In February 2018, Nicola celebrated Kingsley's first birthday with a party at a local dog hotel, captioning an Instagram post with "My little baby boy's first birthday party!!! #kingsley #puppylove."
Meanwhile, Ruth often refers to Brit, her Labrador retriever, as her "best friend." Both Brit and Loki were part of Ruth and Thomas' wedding.
"Because we couldn't have done the day without all of our family members 😊😊😊," Ruth wrote on Instagram in June 2016.
Liam's family was 'heartbroken' over his sudden death
In October 2024, Payne was pronounced dead after falling several stories from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local police told PEOPLE that an investigation is underway to uncover the details of the tragedy and that an autopsy will be performed.
Following his death, the family said they were "heartbroken" over the loss, according to a statement obtained by the BBC.
The statement read: "Liam will live in our hearts forever and we will remember him as a kind, funny and brave soul."
In addition to being mothers to Ashton and Ffion, both Nicola and Ruth are also proud dog moms. Nicola frequently shares photos of her dog Kingsley on social media, while Ruth often posts about her two dogs Brit and Loki.
In February 2018, Nicola celebrated Kingsley's first birthday with a party at a local dog hotel, captioning an Instagram post, "My little baby boy's first birthday party!!! #kingsley #puppylove."
Meanwhile, Ruth often refers to Brit, her Labrador retriever, as her "best friend." Both Brit and Loki were part of Ruth and Thomas' wedding.
"Because we couldn't have done the day without all of our family members," Ruth wrote on Instagram in June 2016.
Liam's family was 'heartbroken' over his sudden death
In October 2024, Payne was pronounced dead after falling several stories from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local police told PEOPLE that an investigation is underway to uncover the details of the tragedy and that an autopsy will be performed.
Following his death, the family said they were "heartbroken" over the loss, according to a statement obtained by the BBC.
The statement read: "Liam will live in our hearts forever and we will remember him as a kind, funny and brave soul."
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