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Fans around the world have been shocked by the tragic news of Liam Payne’s sudden passing. The 31-year-old was best known as a member of One Direction, a boy group put together on The X Factor by judge Simon Cowell. Liam was one of five group members to come out of the reality TV-formed act, and he was with One Direction from the group’s official formation back in 2010 until their indefinite hiatus starting in 2016.
It appears that Liam passed after falling from the hotel where he was staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to state police who responded to the scene, Liam fell from the building’s third floor. Though details about Liam’s death are still unclear at this time, fans are understandably abuzz about the heartbreaking news. Unsurprisingly, many are wondering if any of Liam’s past struggles played a role in his unfortunate end, reflecting on his previous struggles with addiction.
Liam Had Begun His Solo Career
While One Direction was originally a group of five (including fellow members, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson), there was much talk of tension among the band, and fans worried they were headed for a split. When the group finally announced in 2016 that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus, it was unclear when, if ever, the five would reunite.
After that point, Liam wasted little time in getting back to music. In 2017, he released his first single, a song called “Strip That Down,” which was widely played on the radio and well-received for its catchy tune. Not long after, Liam went on to release his first solo album, titled LP1, in 2019. This would be the only full-length studio album that Liam released, pulling from a mix of hip-hip, R&B, pop, and trap in its tracks.
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At the time, reception to the album was lukewarm at best. Though fans were supportive of Liam, still devoted to him as a former member of One Direction, the critical reviews of LP1 were a little harsher, noting that, for his debut solo album, Liam failed to make a name for himself musically, and that the sum of the songs didn’t give listeners a good sense of his identity as an artist.
Liam Also Struggled With Addiction
That was far from the end of Liam’s troubles after leaving the group, however. On top of struggling to launch a thriving solo career, he also admitted to struggling with addiction over the course of several years. Back in 2023, Liam shared a video from his personal YouTube account confessing the truth to his fans about his ongoing issues.
The video, simply titled “I’m Back…” has nearly 700,000 views, and Liam’s account boasts a total of more than 3.7 million subscribers. In the caption of the clip, Liam wrote a sweet and vulnerable message to his fans:
Wow it’s been a while right? Thanks for sticking by me 🖤
Liam went on to share with his devoted fans a dark secret that he’d been keeping: he had been struggling with alcohol addiction and wound up spending 100 days in a professional rehab facility. That said, he assured fans that he was on the up and up since leaving his rehabilitation course, noting that he felt he had more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from [him].”
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This certainly wasn’t the first time that Liam had gotten candid with fans about his struggles. A few years earlier, the artist shared about the severity of his mental health struggles. He appeared on the podcast “The Diary Of A CEO” (hosted by Steven Bartlett), where he spoke vulnerably about how hard it had been for him to grapple with fame and addiction. Liam even went on to share that, at times, he had even struggled with suicidal ideations.
To be clear, at this time, the cause of Liam’s death has not yet been proven, and authorities have since noted that they will be doing a deeper investigation into the situation as well as conducting an autopsy. Back in 2021, however, it seems that these issues were very top of mind for Liam. When speaking on “The Diary Of A CEO,” Liam opened up about just how terrible of a time he’d been having:
I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it. There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about. It was really, really, really severe. And it was a problem. And it was only until I saw myself after that, I was like ‘Right, I need to fix myself.’
Liam clearly saw a connection between the way he was feeling and how much he was drinking, as well as the inverse. He went on to share about what it was like seeing “unflattering” photos taken of him while he was out on a boat, noting that he could see from the images just how bloated the substance abuse was making him appear.
Seeing the photos came as a shock to Liam, who was struck by what he referred to as his “pills-and-booze face,” meaning swollen and unhealthy-looking compared to his normal visage. When it came to understanding where the problem all began, Liam cited getting so famous so fast. When he found that he was suddenly a superstar, he had access to things he’d never had access to before, and that included lots and lots of booze.
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What could start as something more innocent, such as having a drink from the hotel minibar, could quickly turn into a serious night of partying, he noted. As the years wore on, things didn’t get any easier, and Liam shared that the global pandemic was particularly challenging for his struggle with addiction, even calling it “the world thing in the world” for his situation.
Again, while it has not been confirmed whether Liam’s struggles with substance abuse had any connection to his untimely death, it is especially heartbreaking to learn of the passing of someone so talented who clearly had their share of issues to work through. As the news of Liam’s death continues to spread, fans of One Direction have continued their outpouring of love for him, sure to memorialize his legacy for years to come.
The X Factor, also known as The X Factor USA, is an American reality TV competition that first aired in 2011. Created by Simon Cowell, contestants perform to find fame and recognition for their talents.
