One Direction, the iconic boy band, has issued a collective statement in the wake of Liam Payne's untimely demise at the age of 31. 'We are utterly heartbroken by the loss of Liam,' Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson expressed in a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday. 'In due time, when we are all ready, there will be more to say. But for now, we need time to mourn and come to terms with the loss of our beloved brother.'
'The cherished memories we have with him will remain with us forever,' they continued. 'Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the fans who loved him as much as we did. He will be sorely missed. We love you, Liam. Louis, Zayn, Niall, and Harry.'
Payne first gained fame alongside Malik, Styles, Horan, and Tomlinson after the group was formed on 'The X Factor' in 2010. Payne auditioned for the UK singing competition series in 2008, where he met his future partner, Cheryl Cole. The couple dated from 2016 to 2018 and had a son named Bear, now seven years old.
Cole, 41, was one of the judges alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh who witnessed a then-14-year-old Payne's first audition. 'When I'm at school, I constantly think about singing,' Payne told producers before his audition. 'I should be focusing on my studies, but my mind is always on singing. It's my dream, and I want to pursue it.'
Payne performed 'Fly Me to the Moon' by Frank Sinatra, impressing the judges. Cowell, 65, offered some constructive criticism, stating, 'I see potential in you, Liam, but I feel something is missing—a bit of grit, emotion, and fun.' Cole expressed her admiration, saying, 'I like you. You're adorable. You have charisma and that little wink.' All three judges gave Payne a 'yes,' and he left the room to celebrate with his family, including his mom Karen and dad Geoff.
Payne advanced to the judges' house stage but was eliminated by Cowell. At the time, Cowell confided to guest judge Sinitta, 'I have a bad feeling I'll regret this decision.' Two years later, Payne returned to 'The X Factor' for Season 7. For his 2010 audition, the then 16-year-old performed Michael Buble's 'Cry Me a River' in front of Cole, Cowell, and the other judges. 'You've got it. Whatever it is, you've got it,' Cole told Payne. 'Your voice is incredibly powerful.'
Payne made it to the boot camp stage, where he and fellow soloists Tomlinson, Malik, Styles, and Horan were grouped together to form One Direction. The group finished third on the show but went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in history. After Malik's departure in March 2015, the group released one final album before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
In 2017, Payne mentioned that all was 'fine and good' with Malik despite the latter's negative remarks about the band. Years before his death, Payne candidly discussed his time in One Direction on Jessie Ware's podcast 'Table Manners' in 2019. He described the band's hectic schedule as a 'mess,' with no time to rest between sold-out tours and album releases. 'There's no stop button,' he told Ware. 'You have no control over your life. That's why I lost control of everything.'
Payne found the split 'really scary at first' but was relieved when it was over. He embarked on a solo career, releasing his album 'LP1' in 2019 and began work on a follow-up. After leaving One Direction, Payne struggled to break the habits of partying and overworking he developed during his time in the band. 'You're either going to end up a troubled child star who dies young, or you're going to live life and move on,' he decided. 'I remember going to therapy, and the therapist asked, 'What do you like to do?' I didn't know.'
This wasn't the first time Payne opened up about his struggles during his boy band years. He told Men's Health Australia in 2019 that 'it's challenging when you have the level of fame we had in the band.' 'Many people in our industry struggle with mental health and don't get the help they need,' Payne said. 'It's the same issues that have been around since the '70s. If you're fortunate enough, like me, to escape that scenario and return to a sense of normalcy, then you realize it's different.'
He described performing and being in public as 'putting on the Disney costume,' admitting, 'I was often drunk because there was no other way to cope with what was happening.' 'It was fun,' Payne explained. 'We had a great time, but there were parts that became a bit toxic.'
Payne tragically fell to his death from the third floor of his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday. Medical officials confirmed he suffered a 'cranial fracture and severe injuries that led to his immediate death.' Witnesses reported Payne was acting 'erratic' before his passing. He allegedly smashed his laptop in the hotel lobby and was taken back to his room before the fall. Payne had arrived in Argentina earlier this month to attend Horan's concert with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
