The world of music and showbiz is mourning the death of Liam Payne, with tributes to the singer, who died, aged just 31, after a fall from a hotel room in Buenos Aires.
A statement from the X Factor said: “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.”
SAS star Ant Middleton, who worked with Payne on a documentary in 2019 posted photographs of the pair together and said the star was: “A talented positive man with a good heart. I’m glad our friendship flourished and that I was someone you could confine in. Your turn to look over me now bro! Luv ya and will miss you sorely… My sincere condolences to family during these unimaginable times.”
DJ Scott Mills said: “This is a really hard one to take in. Never in a million years would I think we would have to see goodbye to you so soon Liam. We had so much fun back then, and I feel so incredibly sad. Sending my love and strength to his family, his friends, and especially his son.”
Some questioned why the 31-year-old was left alone when he was facing a social media storm over past relationships – and said the industry should do more to protect its talent.
Mikey Graham of Boyzone said: “Rip Liam Payne. Such tragic news. I think it would be a wise move for record companies to have psychologists on their books from now on in his memory as a duty of care for the vulnerability of their young talent. Fame can be very damaging especially in today’s world. Lots of money. Nobody to help. Lots of yes people. Nobody honest.”
Liam Payne first auditioned for the X Factor in 2008 when he was just 14-years-old. He returned two years later and was chosen to become part of boyband One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. One Direction became the biggest ever success to come from the TV talent show – but went on hiatus in 2016.
Many paid tribute to the star’s dedication, talent and professionalism, even from a young age. X Factor Presenter Dermot O’ Leary said “I haven’t seen him for a while, but he was both wise and a young soul at exactly the same time.
“He had these old bones about him, like his musical tastes and so forth, and yet he was always beautifully wide-eyed about the world and his place in it and fame.”
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood said: “I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Liam Payne. It was a pleasure to work with him on our X Factor performance. God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.
In 2022 and 2023 Payne captained England for Soccer Aid for UNICEF. A statement said: “Everyone is devastated to learn of the sad passing of Liam Payne. Thank you for everything you did to help support children around the world.”
Tributes also came from Paris Hilton, McFly and thousands of devastated fans around the world.
The singer had a number of high-profile relationships. Cheryl Cole, who he dated from 2016 – 2018 was the mother of his son Bear who is now seven years old. He also dated model Maya Henry between 2019 and 2021. Since October 2022 he had been in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy.
Payne worked on a number of solo projects and was working on his second solo album. He had spoken publicly about his personal difficulties since the end of One Direction.
You can listen to his last single, Teardrops here:
