Liam Payne's sister Ruth Gibbins shares emotional tribute on 15th anniversary of One Direction - nine months after his tragic death
The band - made up of Liam, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson - become one of the biggest boy bands in history after being put together on the X Factor in 2010.
Now, nine months after Liam's tragic death at the age of 31 - following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires - Ruth honoured his memory with a touching Instagram post on Wednesday.
She shared family photos taken in the same spot years apart which featured in the band's Story of My Life music video.
The snaps showed Liam as a young boy and again as a teenager, posing with his loved ones.
Alongside the snaps, Ruth wrote a heartfelt message reflecting on her brother's incredible journey and the legacy he left behind.
She penned: 'Liam this one's for you
'15 years of the 'I'm in a boyband' text, where Dad ran downstairs to tell us all, absolutely gutted at the time that you'd been sent home again, that you'd been put in a boyband.
'Your love of 1D never stopped, you were so proud of what you'd achieved and part of the love remaining, guiding us through this darkness is the love of your fans who have loved and supported you for 15 years, they are always so proud of you, I hope you can see it.'
She continued: 'Your love and support for the other boys never stopped, you were first to congratulate about their successes after the band, you always sang their songs and spoke of them and your memories, they were the brothers you'd always wanted.
'I have my favourite memories of your band, and going through my 20s watching your success with such pride.
One of my favourite memories is when we were at an after party and Souts was telling us about the 'story of my life' video idea, and you said 'ask him what photo of us we're using', he told us and I turned to you and said 'but Nicola's got a mullet and I've got black hair in it?!'
'And you laughed and said 'I know' absolutely howling that you'd got us to agree to reenact one of our worst photos.
We had the best time filming that video with you.
'Everyday in your company was always tonic for my soul, no matter where in the world we were.
'From our dance shows, to small theatres, arenas to stadiums, incredible memories.'
It comes just days after Liam's other sister Nicola paid tribute to the late singer on Instagram after watching him in Netflix's Building The Band.
Last week Nicola heartbreakingly admitted 'I hate that this happened' and feels she will 'never be able to process his passing', nine months after his tragic death.
In the tear-jerking post, Nicola wrote: '9 months ago today, our lives changed forever. I still find it incredibly hard to process what happened. I'm not sure I ever fully will, or even want to.
'Liam, you are the most incredible person. For those of us lucky enough to know and love you, our lives were truly blessed.
'Today, the world gets to see just a glimpse of your passion and talent and wow, you are amazing in this show.
'You cared so deeply about the people around you. You wanted to make a difference, and you are lighting up that stage like you were born to do.
'You were made to be a judge, to guide, to encourage, and to let your voice be heard. Watching you in this show, I've never been more proud.
'I just wish you got to see it. It's everything we knew it would be when we were at filming.
'This show will forever hold a special place in my heart because it's one of the last times I saw you, and I got to witness you shine so bloody brightly, but it's also allowed me to still feel close to you.
'I love you so much, and I miss you even more. I hate that this happened.'
Nicola and Ruth are Liam's two older sisters, making him the youngest of three siblings in the tight-knit family.
Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean hosts the programme, with Nicole as the main mentor and judge, being joined by Liam and Kelly Rowland throughout the process.
And reflecting on her time working with the late singer, the Pussycat Dolls star Nicole admitted: 'We got pretty close through this whole experience.'
She told People: 'Liam is such a kind and beautiful heart, and selfishly I'm glad that I got to spend my time with him. I'm really happy that the world gets to see another one of his gifts, which is helping these blossoming artists, these bands.
'He was amazing. I was really impressed with him. He was just so giving and generous, even when the cameras weren't rolling, spending time with all the fans and singing to them. It was lovely to watch him in his element.'
The star said it was 'beautiful' to be able to see Liam 'come full circle' after coming third on the X Factor in 2010 with One Direction.
She said: 'I saw the joy it brought to Liam. I felt that this was his happy place. Like myself, AJ and Kelly, we've lived this. We've learned it.'
Nicole continued: 'To be able to bestow any inspiration and knowledge and wisdom and experience on any of these contestants and these bands, it brought us all joy. Particularly Liam.
'I felt this really inspired him and this was his happy place. This was his happy place because Liam was such a beautiful heart, and he loved to give back. He loved to help.'
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