Trigger Warning: This article contains references to suicide and substance abuse.
Former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died at the age of 31 on October 16, 2024, had been open about his mental health issues throughout his life. Payne, who was found dead after falling from a third-floor balcony in a Buenos Aires hotel, had frequently stated about the pressures of fame and the toll it took on his mental and emotional health.
His cause of death has yet to be revealed. In interviews, Payne spoke openly about his struggles, ranging from the early days of One Direction to his personal battles with anxiety, agoraphobia, and addiction.
In a 2017 interview with The Sun, Payne compared performing in One Direction to putting on one of those costumes and admitted that it was difficult to maintain a positive attitude.
“People don’t really see what’s going on underneath,” he said. He also spoke about a canceled 2015 Belfast gig, stating that he was not in a good place then. “I was going through a rough time, and I let it get to me a little bit too much,” he said.
Fans were disappointed by One Direction’s split in 2016, but Liam Payne agreed it was what the band needed. “I’m a totally different person now to how I used to be about it,” he stated, saying that the group often didn’t stop to celebrate their success, which put more pressure on them.
In a 2019 interview with Esquire Middle East, Payne revealed his ongoing battle with agoraphobia, which made it difficult for him to leave the house at times. He said he would never leave the house. Even basic things, like walking to the coffee shop, made him anxious.
Later that year, in an interview with Men’s Health Australia, Payne addressed his mental health struggles in more detail. He defined the pressure of singing the same set of songs night after night as putting the Disney costume on and hiding his struggles.
He said he was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get his head around what was going on. Payne stated that many in this industry were not receiving the help they required and that he was lucky to have found support.
During a November 2019 appearance on Straight Talk with Ant Middleton, Payne compared fame to a weird midlife crisis and revealed how the pressure and loneliness had nearly killed him on several occasions.
“There’s times where that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day… that’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times,” he said. Payne thanked those around him for their help during these difficult times.
In 2021, Payne spoke honestly on the Diary of a CEO podcast, stating that he struggled with substance abuse and even suicidal ideation when with One Direction. He said he was worried about how far his rock bottom was going to be. Payne stated that he was good at hiding his struggles, making it difficult for others to understand what he was going through.
At the time of the interview, he had been sober for a month and thanked his friends and former bandmate Harry Styles for checking in on him during his darkest times.
Later that year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Payne told Glamour that his mental health was an ongoing experience and that the pandemic was worsening his problems. He explained that he struggled to relax and felt compelled to be productive at all times.
In a July 2023 YouTube video, Payne revealed that he had completed a 100-day recovery program and had been sober for six months. He thanked his ex, Cheryl Cole, and their son, Bear, for giving him the space to seek help.
He said there’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach, adding that before becoming clean, he didn’t have anything to say to his son other than express his deep love for him.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who is having suicidal thoughts, anxiety, going through depression, or is suffering from a serious mental illness, reach out to a nearby doctor, mental health expert, or an NGO for immediate help. There are several helplines available for the same.
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