Liam Payne, the 31-year-old former One Direction (1D) star, has died after a fall from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room. The death was a result of a drug-fuelled binge, and while his final hours were traumatic, the outpouring of grief and remembrance from 1D fans reminds us that Liam was so much bigger than his passing.
To remember Liam, here are some facts to know about the Brit pop star.
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Liam was in Buenos Aires to attend a concert starring Niall Horan, his ex-bandmate from 1D. While staying at the Casa Sur Hotel, Liam went on a drug and alcohol binge and was displaying rowdy behaviour.
The hotel’s staff called the police and emergency services, citing that they had an aggressive guest. When the police arrived, however, Payne had jumped from the balcony of his room. Currently, there is no word on whether the fall was an accident or intentional.
Liam was born in Wolverhampton, just off Birmingham, England. Like most of the 1D members, Liam comes from a modest family background, where his mother worked as an infant nurse, and his father worked in construction.
At school, Liam was an active member of the of the school sports team, and was heavily involved in cross-country running. In fact, he held a 3-year record for being one of the top 3 1500m runners in his age group, from 2007.
After experiencing bullying in school, Liam decided to pick up boxing. At 12 years old, he went to boxing camp in order to learn how to fight. He mentioned that if he could stand up to his much older coaches, he could stand up to anyone.
One Direction’s global success after The X Factor seemed like a miracle, but that was not Liam’s first rodeo. In 2008, he auditioned for the talent show and made it past the first round. He was later cut, but judge Simon Cowell suggested Liam try again in 2 years.
In an interview with TVN, Liam revealed that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an adult. Liam has always been open about his struggles with mental health, alcoholism, and suicidal ideation as well. In a 2023 video on his own YouTube channel, Liam opened up about his alcoholism issues after going through 100 days in a rehab facility.
People with ADHD are 3 to 4 times more likely to die by suicide.
Liam’s list of former lovers is interesting, to say the least. His former paramours are a string of models and stars, including Naomi Campbell, who he dated in 2019. Most notably, though, Liam was attached to Cheryl Cole, the former Girls Aloud singer. They share one son, named Bear Grey. Bear was born in 2017.
All of the 1D members have pursued solo careers after the boy band disbanded in 2016. Liam released his first, and now only, album, titled LP1, where he collaborated with several artists, including Zedd and Quavo. His headline single, “Strip That Down”, was on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, coming in at No. 10.
In 2023, Liam revealed he was working on new music and a follow-up album, and was looking forward to touring again.
Whether you’re a 1D fan or not, Liam’s death is undeniably heartwrenching, especially given the circumstances. While he was quite a controversial figure in his final years, there’s always something tragic about losing young stars to addiction.
Here are some facts to remember him by.
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All images courtesy of Liam Payne (@liampayne).
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