Liam Payne obituary: One Direction made his childhood dream a reality – but fame was never easy
When Simon Cowell and his fellow X Factor judges were choosing the young singers to form One Direction, it was Liam Payne he was certain of.
“He was the stand-out audition,” the music mogul said, confidently, as a Polaroid of the then 16-year-old was placed on top of the smiling, fresh faces of Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. Zayn Malik soon followed. The judges agreed Payne could be the “leader”.
From footage of the process, the creation of a pop phenomenon seemingly took just a few minutes.
“I’m in a boy band,” Payne excitedly told his dad in a text message after discovering he had been selected. He had no idea then how his life was going to change.
Pic: Katie Collins/PA
One Direction did not win the X Factor in 2010. That title went to Matt Cardle, with Rebecca Ferguson named runner-up. Beyond the hype around the series, only a few contestants, winners or otherwise, found lasting success. Leona Lewis, Little Mix, Olly Murs and Alexandra Burke were among a handful who shed the reality TV label and had sustained careers.
But Cowell‘s group went on to eclipse every other act that appeared on the show, before or after. The heady days of boy band mania in the 1990s and early 2000s involving Take That, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and NSync had ended, and One Direction more than filled the gap.
They might have been “the cutest boyband ever”, as X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger described them during the selection process, but they were also five talented young singers who sang well-crafted, catchy pop songs.
From the release of their debut single, What Makes You Beautiful in 2011, their rise seemed inevitable. Payne co-wrote songs on all their albums.
One Direction became one of the biggest pop groups in the world, releasing five albums, embarking on four world tours and starring in a film. But just five years after their formation in 2010, Malik left the group, and the band announced their indefinite hiatus the following year.
Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, had wanted to be a singer from a young age. His first audition for the X Factor had actually been in 2008 when he was 14, two years before he was placed in One Direction.
“I think about singing all the time,” he told the cameras following the hopefuls, before singing Fly Me To The Moon in front of the judges. Cowell liked him and put him through the first round, but ultimately decided he was too young.
Pic: Ken McKay/Shutterstock
As a solo star, he signed a deal with Capitol Records, had hits including Strip That Down and Get Low, and worked with a range of high-profile artists. But as his former bandmates found varying degrees of solo success – Styles hitting similar heights to One Direction as an artist in his own right – Payne seemingly struggled to find his place.
After achieving his childhood dream, his path followed that of so many stars who find stratospheric fame at a young age. In interviews, he spoke candidly about his struggles with mental health and addiction to alcohol.
“For some certain circumstances – I’m quite lucky to be here still, which is something I’ve never really shared with anyone,” he told former soldier and TV personality Ant Middleton on his Straight Talking show in 2019.
“I can’t go too deep into it because I don’t know how I feel myself. I still haven’t made my peace with it, to be honest.”
With Cheryl at the Brit Awards in 2018. Pic: Reuters/Eddie Keogh
He continued: “There’s times where that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day. Just every so often, you’re like, when will this end? That’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times.”
In an interview with Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett, he described struggling with alcoholism at the peak of his success with One Direction, and hitting “rock bottom”. His problems with drinking continued during the pandemic, but in 2023 he shared a YouTube video telling fans he was six months sober, after spending nearly 100 days in rehab in the US.
In his personal life, he had a relationship with Girls Aloud star Cheryl, having first met her as a teenager during that first X Factor audition when she was a judge in 2008. “I like you, I think you’re really cute,” she famously told him back then, saying he had charisma and a “cheeky” style when he winked at her. In March 2017, they announced the birth of their son, Bear, but split the following year.
At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with US model and influencer Kate Cassidy, who had been with him in Argentina to see a concert by his former bandmate Horan. He had faced some criticism on social media over his behaviour at the show, leading to fans circulating old clips of him. However, footage he posted just hours before he died seemed to suggest he was enjoying his trip.
Read more:
Stars pay tribute to Liam Payne
He had the X Factor – but less support than stars have today
Payne’s death aged 31 is a devastating end to a young life, and while the full circumstances are not yet known, some musicians in their tributes have called for more support behind the scenes. As documentaries on huge stars such as Taylor Swift, Lewis Capaldi and Selena Gomez have shown in recent years, behind the glamour and fortune, the reality of fame can often be harsh and often lonely.
In 2020, marking One Direction’s 10th anniversary, Payne shared a screenshot of that text message he had sent to his dad, telling him he was in a boyband, all those years earlier. “What a journey,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone that’s supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me.”
Speculation about a reunion had grown over the years. Now, if it does happen in the future, it tragically will be without Payne. The young star who always wanted to sing.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
When I got to Chequers on Sunday, the prime minister had clearly been up for most of the night and hitting the phones all morning with calls to fellow leaders in Europe and the Middle East, as he and others scrambled to try to contain a very dangerous situation.
His primary message was to try to reassure the public that the UK government was working to stabilise the region as best it could and press for a return to diplomacy.
But what struck me in our short interview was not what he did say but what he didn’t – what he couldn’t – say about the US strikes.
It was clear from his swerve on the question of whether the UK supported the strikes that the prime minister neither wanted to endorse US strikes nor overtly criticise President Donald Trump.
Follow latest: Trump hails ‘bullseye’ strikes on Iran
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Starmer reacts to US strikes on Iran
Instead, his was a form of words – repeated later in a joint statement of the E3 (the UK, Germany and France) – to acknowledge the US strikes and reiterate where they can agree: the need to prevent Iran having a nuclear weapon.
He also didn’t want to engage in the very obvious observation that President Trump simply isn’t listening to Sir Keir Starmer or other allies, who had been very publicly pressing for de-escalation all week, from the G7 summit in Canada to this weekend as European countries convened talks in Geneva with Iran.
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 in Canada last week. Pic: Reuters
It was only five days ago that the prime minister told me he didn’t think a US attack was imminent, when I asked him what was going on following President Trump’s abrupt decision to quit the G7 early and convene his security council at the White House.
When I asked him if he felt foolish or frustrated that Trump had done that and didn’t seem to be listening, he told me it was a “fast moving situation” with a “huge amount of discussions in the days since the G7” and said he was intensely pressing his consistent position of de-escalation.
What else really could he say? He has calculated that criticising Trump goes against UK interests and has no other option but to press for a diplomatic solution and work with other leaders to achieve that aim.
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What is Operation ‘Midnight Hammer’?
Before these strikes, Tehran was clear it would not enter negotiations until Israel stopped firing missiles into Iran – something Israel is still saying it is not prepared to do.
The US has been briefing that one of the reasons it took action was because it did not think the Iranians were taking the talks convened by the Europeans in Geneva seriously enough.
It is hard now to see how these strikes will not serve but to deepen the conflict in the Middle East and the mood in government is bleak.
Iran will probably conclude that continuing to strike only Israel in light of the US attacks – the first airstrikes ever by the US on Iran – is a response that will make the regime seem weak.
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What next after US-Iran strikes?
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But escalation could draw the UK into a wider conflict it does not want. If Iran struck US assets, it could trigger Article 5 of NATO (an attack on one is an attack on all) and draw the UK into military action.
If Iran chose to attack the US via proxies, then UK bases and assets could be under threat.
The prime minister was at pains to stress on Sunday that the UK had not been involved in these strikes.
Meanwhile, the UK-controlled airbase on Diego Garcia was not used to launch the US attacks.
There was no request to use the Diego Garcia base, the president moving unilaterally, underlining his disinterest in what the UK has to say.
The world is waiting nervously to see how Iran might respond, as the PM moves more military assets to the region while simultaneously hitting the phones.
The prime minister may be deeply opposed to this war, but stopping it is not in his gift.
UK
GPs can prescribe weight loss jabs on the NHS from today – but strict eligibility criteria in place
GPs will be able to prescribe weight loss jabs on the NHS from today.
About 220,000 people with the “greatest need” are set to receive Mounjaro – with strict criteria for the first year of the rollout.
Initially, only those with a body mass index of over 40 who have at least four other health problems linked to obesity will be eligible.
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Can you get pregnant when on weight loss drugs?
Some doctors have raised concerns about the additional workload this new programme will bring, while pharmacists fear it could lead to supply shortages.
While an estimated 1.5 million people are now taking weight loss drugs across the UK, they could previously only be accessed through specialist services or private prescriptions.
Dr Claire Fuller from NHS England said: “We urgently need to address rising levels of obesity and prioritise support for those who are experiencing severe ill health – and greater access to weight loss drugs will make a significant difference to the lives of those people.”
She added: “While not everyone will be eligible for weight loss drugs, it’s important that anyone who is worried about the impact of their weight on their health discusses the range of NHS support available with their healthcare professional.”
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Weight loss drugs ‘changing way we see obesity’
The chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs welcomed NHS England’s decision to pursue a phased rollout, and said current workloads must be factored in to ensure the jabs can be prescribed safely.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne went on to say: “While weight loss medications have a lot of potential benefits for patients who are struggling to lose weight and who meet all the clinical criteria for a prescription, they mustn’t be seen as a ‘silver bullet’ to aid weight loss.
“We also need to see a focus on prevention, stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don’t require a medical intervention later.”
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‘How I tried to get weight loss drugs’
Her remarks were echoed by the National Pharmacy Association’s chairman Olivier Picard, who says “prescribing these medications alone misses the point”.
He argued that they need to be part of a comprehensive strategy that includes lifestyle coaching, exercise and nutritional guidance – but many GPs currently “lack the bandwidth” to provide this support.
“As a result, we could end up in a situation where patients are prescribed the medication, lose weight, and then experience rebound weight gain once the course ends – simply because the foundational lifestyle changes weren’t addressed,” Mr Picard added.
Estimates suggest about 29% of the adult population is obese.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the government “is determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay”.
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