Zayn Malik is ‘in absolute bits’ over former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne’s shock death.

News hit the web that Liam had tragically passed away at age 31 on Wednesday evening, after he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Now, someone close to his ex-groupmate Zayn, 31, has revealed how the Pillowtalk artist has reacted to the horrific news.

A US music producer working with Zayn from One Direction told DailyMail.com exclusively that the singer is in ‘shock’ over Liam’s sudden passing.

They added that Zayn’s loved ones ‘don’t want him to be alone’ at the moment, so he is ‘surrounded by his friends.’ 

‘Zayn was told in the early hours of this morning and has been in absolute bits,’ they said. 

‘He is in shock, and his parents have been in touch with Liam’s family to offer their support and condolences. 

‘People close to Zayn don’t want him to be alone at the moment, so he is surrounded by friends.’

They said it ‘had been a while since Zayn and Liam had spoken’ due to ‘issues they had with one another in the past.’

‘But they respected each other from a distance,’ the insider explained. ‘They didn’t hate each other but they couldn’t see eye to eye on different things.

‘But they both felt that they had been exploited in the music industry.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Zayn for comment. 

Zayn and Liam were put into the band One Direction together alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson after they auditioned as solo artists on the X Factor in 2010.

The group went on to become a massive success, releasing five wildly popular albums, dominating the charts, breaking multiple records, and embarking on numerous sold-out world tours. 

Zayn famously left the band in 2015, and in 2016, he said he was ‘the closest with Liam’ when he was asked what his relationship with his former bandmates was like.

‘I’m still probably the closest to Liam. We talk on the phone. He congratulated me on my single. Which was nice. I congratulated him on his Brit Award,’ he said at the time.

However, by 2022, it seemed as though their relationship had become strained as Liam confessed during an appearance on a podcast, ‘There are many reasons why I dislike Zayn.

‘But there are many reasons why I’ll always always be on his side,’ he added.

Liam was declared dead after he fell 45-feet from the third floor into a courtyard at the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighborhood in Buenos Aires. 

Authorities said he died instantly from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull. 

Argentinian media reported that police were called to the hotel beforehand over reports of an aggressive man who was believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

A hotel worker made two calls, saying in the first: ‘We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come.’

He then phoned again, adding: ‘I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. The room has a balcony and we are afraid he might do something.’ 

Liam was said to have been ‘acting erratically in the hotel lobby and smashed his laptop’ before he ‘had to be carried back to his room,’ local media reported.

The singer’s family told DailyMail.com afterwards that they are ‘utterly devastated’ by his death.

‘We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,’ they added in a statement.

‘We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.’

Liam had arrived in Argentina earlier this month for his ex-bandmate Niall’s concert with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. 

She left two days ago, explaining in a TikTok video that she ‘needed to go home,’ but he stayed in the South American country alone.

His shock passing comes days after his ex-fiancée Maya Henry started legal proceedings against him.

She reportedly served Liam with cease and desist papers last week after accusing him of repeatedly contacting her.