the descent into hell of a One Direction idol

Liam Payne, member of One Direction and idol of millions of fans, died on Wednesday around 5 p.m. local time in Buenos Aires, in tragic circumstances. While 2024 was to be the year of renewal, after having mentioned his problems with alcoholism and the difficulties linked to fame. He died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local police said.

« Nobody can believe it. He has the world at his feet »declares one of his friends interviewed by the British tabloid MailOnline. Born August 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, Liam Payne is the author of numerous titles from the One Direction discography. Made up of five singers (including Harry Styles), the group became known thanks to its appearance on the television show The X Factor a talent competition for amateur singers. He went on to become one of the most lucrative boy bands in the world. Their first single, released in September 2011, What Makes You Beautifulremains to this day one of the group’s cult titles.

In December 2015, after the release of his fifth studio album, Made in the A.M, the members of the group, then all aged around twenty, had announced that they were taking an indefinite break while ensuring that they wanted to continue. They ultimately never reunited on stage or in the studio.

Following the band’s hiatus, Liam Payne announced that he was working on a solo album, following in the footsteps of other band members like Harry Styles. The latter had worldwide success with his single As It Was. Liam Payne’s solo single, Strip that Downranked third in the UK charts and tenth in the US Billboard Top Songs chart. On the Spotify streaming platform, the title has more than a billion listeners. In December 2019, he released his first solo album LP1, at Republic Records (a subsidiary of Universal).

Despite notable success, the young artist is still remorseful since the boy band’s hiatus. According to Hollywood Reporter he declared in 2022 in the podcast Impaulsive of Logan Paul that he « would hate » still his former bandmate Zayn Malik, insisting One Direction was formed around him. Most recently, his ex, Maya Henry, accused the singer of harassing her and her family after their breakup in 2022.

Alcohol addiction

On Wednesday, shortly after 5 p.m. local time, local police responded to « a call to 911 (the emergency number) reporting an aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol »indicates the police press release. In recent years, the artist has openly spoken about his problems related to alcohol and managing fame. In a 2023 video posted on his YouTube account, the singer said he was admitted to a rehab center for his alcohol addiction. « I sort of became someone I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you don’t recognize it either »he said then.

In photos circulating on social networks and authenticated by the Argentine newspaper The Nation we can see a hotel room in very poor condition, including a broken television screen as well as several substances scattered around, suggesting drug and alcohol consumption. The musician’s friends interviewed by MailOnline claimed that he « was struggling, he just wanted to be a good person. It’s a horrible tragedy. He just couldn’t get over his pain ».

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“A horrible tragedy”, “such a talented guy”: those close to Liam Payne speak out about his sudden death

2024, the year of resilience?

After a year punctuated by a hundred days spent in detoxification centers and several hospitalizations due to a kidney infection, 2024 was to be the start of a new era for Liam Payne who claimed to be sober. He marked his musical return with a new single called Teardrops. The title « talks about the vulnerability of heartbreak and the challenge of overcoming these moments. This song marks the start of a new beginning, there are many more things to come in 2024 “, he assured in a press release. He explained that he had spent the last few months in the studio for a period “ self-reflection that lasted a year ». This is the artist’s last song.

The singer would have experienced difficult last weeks. According to news sites NME et The Sun the singer’s next album has been put on indefinite hiatus. The reason? The poor audiences for his latest single which failed to enter the British top 30 (43^e place) and his separation from his manager. Also, the creation of a planned documentary on Payne’s career was reportedly canceled.