Liam Payne

Liam James Payne (29 August 1993 – 16 October 2024) was an English singer.

He was best known as a member of the pop boy band One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Payne initially auditioned for the British television series The X Factor in 2008, but it was in 2010, after a second audition, that he was placed in a group with four other contestants to form One Direction. The band achieved global success before going on hiatus in 2015.

Following One Direction's hiatus, Payne pursued a solo career, signing with Republic Records in North America. In 2017, he released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum in both countries. His debut studio album, LP1, was released in December 2019. During the first three years of his solo career, Payne sold over 18 million singles, 2.4 million albums, and amassed 3.9 billion streams. In addition to his solo work, Payne produced remixes under the monikers "Big Payno" and "Payno". He collaborated with other artists and remixed tracks for both his group and singer Cheryl.

Payne died on 16 October 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Early life

Liam James Payne was born on 29 August 1993 at New Cross Hospital in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. He was the son of Karen Payne, an infant nurse, and Geoff Payne, a fitter. He had two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth Payne. Payne was born three weeks early, and suffered frequent illnesses. Until the age of four, Payne had regular tests done in hospital as doctors noticed one of his kidneys was scarred and dysfunctional. To help cope with the pain, he had sixteen injections in his arm every morning and another sixteen every evening as a child. As a student, Payne was heavily involved in sports, particularly cross country running. Payne originally joined the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club to pursue his running career. For three years he was ranked in the top three 1500m runners in the country within his age group.

He took up boxing lessons at the age of 12 amidst bullying from older students in secondary school. Payne completed 11 GCSEs at St Peter's Collegiate School (now St Peter's Collegiate Academy) before moving on to study music technology at City of Wolverhampton College.

Payne was first introduced to the world of show business at age twelve as a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company, appearing as Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. Payne had previously performed in front of a crowd of 26,000 during a Wolverhampton Wanderers football match.

Artistry

Payne was a pop and R&B singer who explored other genres such as electronic music.

Payne cited Chris Brown, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, and Usher as major musical influences. "The person who has inspired me most is Pharrell Williams who I worked with a while back. I got talking to his producer recently and asked him what Pharrell was like when he was younger, and he said to me that when he was my age he couldn't press a note on a keyboard. And that was amazing to me because at 22 I thought I was too old to learn guitar," revealed Payne. Payne's first exposure to rock music was through Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory with "In the End" as they were the gateway for him to listen to other types of music outside of what he would typically listen to as a child. Payne would label "In the End" as one of the most important songs of his life.

Personal life

From 2010 to late 2012, Payne dated then-X Factor dancer Danielle Peazer. From 2013 to 2015, he was in a relationship with childhood friend, Sophia Smith. In 2016, he started dating Cheryl Cole; they had one son who was born on 22 March 2017. They split in 2018. 

In early 2019, he dated British model and actress Naomi Campbell.

Payne began dating model Maya Henry in 2019; they became engaged in August 2020. By June 2021, Payne and Henry had ended their relationship. The couple reunited that year and became engaged again. In May 2022, the couple ended their engagement for the second time. Since October 2022, he had been in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy.

Payne's net worth was estimated at £47 million in 2020. Payne previously owned homes in Malibu, California, and Surrey, but listed them both for sale in early 2020 and 2021, respectively. From 2022 until his death, he resided in Buckinghamshire.

Payne was a supporter of the football team West Bromwich Albion.

Payne had spoken about struggling with alcoholism since the peak of the band's success. On 1 June 2022, he was interviewed by Logan Paul for his podcast series where Payne, while intoxicated, said that One Direction originated with Simon Cowell's promise to him. He also discussed former fellow member Zayn Malik's family life and stated, "There's many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there's many reasons why I'll always, always be on his side". He was met with criticism, with the veracity of several of his claims contested. He subsequently clarified his remarks on Malik and apologised. Later, in 2023, he announced his sobriety and said that he went to a rehab facility after the interview.

Payne received an ADHD diagnosis as an adult. In August 2023, he was hospitalised with a kidney infection.

Payne publicly discussed his struggles with alcoholism and suicidal ideation. In 2023, he stated that he had been sober for over three months.

Death

On 16 October 2024, Payne died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 31. Police were called to the hotel following an emergency call from the hotel manager, who reported "an aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol". The manager indicated in the call that "when he is conscious he is destroying the entire room and we need you to send someone", noting that the man's life was at risk due to the room having a balcony. Payne fell from the balcony shortly after emergency services arrived. His death was confirmed at 5:11 p.m. Argentina Time (ART).

Alberto Crescenti, director of Buenos Aires' public emergency medical service, announced Payne's death on the Argentine news channel Todo Noticias, stating that the fall was from a height of approximately 13 to 14 metres (43 to 46 ft) and that Payne sustained "very serious injuries incompatible with life", leaving "no possibility of resuscitation". Crescenti declined to comment on whether the death was a suicide or an accident. Pablo Policicchio, communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, stated that Payne "had jumped from the balcony of his room". Authorities are investigating Payne's death, and a post-mortem is being conducted.