Liam Payne’s Ex Aliana Mawla Pays Tribute to One Direction Star After His Death: ‘Sorry This Happened to You’

Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend Aliana Mawla is paying tribute to the late One Direction star following his death at age 31.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, Mawla, 26 — who was said to have dated Payne following his breakup with former fiancée Maya Henry in 2022 — remembered the late musician with two photos shared to her Instagram Stories.

Alongside an image that appeared to show Payne at a gig, Mawla wrote, “I’m sorry this happened to you.. will forever love & miss you.”

Aliana Mawla posted a photo of her hand intertwined with Liam Payne’s on her Instagram Stories.

The internet personality added another photo of Payne’s “L” and “P” tattoos on each of his hands, with her thumb seemingly resting in between.

“rest in paradise,” she wrote over the picture.

Payne reportedly met Mawla while shooting the music video for his 2018 track with J Balvin, “Familiar,” according to Elle.

In May 2022, PEOPLE confirmed Payne and his ex Maya Henry had called it quits “over a month ago,” and that month, he was pictured with Mawla.

In a statement to E! News at the time, Mawla’s rep insisted she didn’t start dating Payne while “he was still engaged or involved with [his] ex fiancé,” despite rumors.

Aliana Mawla’s Instagram Stories post of Liam Payne.

ALIANA MAWLA/INSTAGRAM

Tributes continue to pour in for Payne after he was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Oct. 16 after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE.

Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, has since told PEOPLE that the singer “jumped from the balcony” of his hotel room. The Associated Press also published the comments.

A preliminary autopsy report revealed Payne died from multiple injuries and “internal and external” hemorrhages after the fall, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE.

The coroners told PEOPLE that 25 injuries in the autopsy were “compatible with those caused by a fall from a height” and noted that “the head injuries were sufficient to cause death,” while the “internal and external hemorrhages” of the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to Payne’s death.

Authorities stated that “no defensive injuries were found” and no injuries suggested that any third parties were involved. The prosecutor’s office handling the case also confirmed that a toxicology report is still pending.

Payne’s One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik paid tribute to the late star with emotional Instagram posts on Thursday.

“I am truly devastated by Liam’s passing,” Styles began a message, sharing: “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to be alongside him as he did it.”

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Horan — who saw Payne on Oct. 2 after the late singer attended his concert at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires — is yet to release his own tribute, but the band did share a joint message.

The statement included, “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”