October 16, the Argentinian police confirmed pop star Liam Payne’s passing in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne, known for his time as a member of the band “One Direction,” shocked the world with his death at only 31 years old. Prior to his untimely passing, a bundle of controversy spread around Payne that resulted in backlash, which took a toll on his mental health and ultimately led to his death. Payne leaves behind his son, family, friends and fan base.  NC students mourn Payne’s death as One Direction’s audience includes mainly Millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z) as they grew up with the band.  

“I initially read the news on an Instagram page, and immediately thought it was fake news. I held my breath and googled, and when I saw that he truly had died, it honestly hit me like a ton of bricks. I was and am a huge One Direction fan and their music really helped me through a lot. Liam didn’t know how loved he was, and that he was dealing with a lot of stuff that was not his fault. He will always be a light in a world filled with darkness, and so I thank him for bringing that light into my life,” magnet senior Olivia Doucette said. 

Born in Wolverhampton, UK, August 1993, Payne grew up drawn to music and singers such as Justin Timberlake and Usher, which inspired him to begin singing himself. As a child, Payne’s financial state did not allow him music opportunities, but he knew he wanted to pursue his passion for singing to alleviate his family’s struggles. Payne auditioned for the fifth season of hit British competition show X Factor at only 14 years old, and after his initial audition judge Simon Cowell recommended Payne to train for an additional two years before returning again to audition. Payne took his advice and later returned to audition a second time. 

Payne’s second audition resulted in judges Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger deciding to group him up with four other younger artists with similar backgrounds. This group came together to win third place on season seven of X Factor and formed one of the largest boy bands in the world: One Direction. During his time in the band, Payne gained four brothers: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. Throughout their six years together they created a total of five albums and played on four world tours, including two all-stadium tours. Fans worldwide and other members considered Payne as the band’s glue due to his songwriting contributions and his addition to the emotional grounding of One Direction. 

Payne’s solo career launched in 2017 with his debut single, “Strip That Down,” just one year after the band split apart.  That same year, Payne brought his son, Bear Payne, now seven years old, to the world with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl. “LP1,” Payne’s first and only album, was released in December 2019 and flew to the Top 20s on British charts. Various artists appeared on this album such as Alesso, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Cheat Codes, Quavo, Rita Ora, Zedd and other artists that helped with the completion of this album. Payne only released one other song, “Teardrops,” but unfortunately did not complete his second album before his passing. 

 September 30, Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy arrived in Argentina with the purpose of seeing former bandmate Horan perform in concert. During his time in Argentina, Payne posted various pictures on his Snapchat story including photos with Horan, videos of his girlfriend and other content of his travels where fans believed he seemed happy and content. Cassidy and Payne initially decided to stay for five days, but after Payne’s visa expired, he faced difficulties in renewing the visa. Due to this, he needed to stay in Argentina for two weeks total and Cassidy decided to fly home without him.

 Payne stayed in the CasaSur hotel where other visitors caught him acting strange. Witnesses stepped forward with their stories within the past four days of their interactions with Payne.  One source stated that Payne sat in the lobby for a while, reading emails and one he read prompted him to smash his computer. Other witnesses explain how they heard loud noises from his room and in the lobby he seemed like he wanted people to recognize him. After the tragedy, photos of Payne’s room include a smashed television, ripped foil lying around, a smashed Dove bar soap and various items trashed.. Witnesses last saw him in the lobby and heard screams prior to the devastation. 

Reporters and the police first determined Payne’s death as purposeful due to calls the police received from concerned workers prior to his death, but new sources such as his autopsy show his fall as potentially accidental. The first piece of evidence comes from the substances found in Payne’s room which later established that Payne took “Cristal” which includes side effects of rage, highs and lows and other symptoms Payne showed prior to his death. Reports also believe the hotel staff played a role in providing Payne with the drugs, knowing the side effects and forcing him to isolate in his room right before the incident. 

After Payne’s death, friends and family stepped up with memories about Payne and wrote their final goodbyes. Celebrities who worked closely with Payne such as Charlie Puth, the One Direction members, Zedd, Cheryl and a variety of others posted tributes on their social media pages. Fans around the world also hosted memorials to celebrate Payne through his songs, lighting candles and reminiscing. Official statements from the police or his family remain unavailable, but the world continues to send well wishes to Payne’s friends and family, especially to his son, Bear. 

“A message to you Liam if you’re listening. I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I am really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye… I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,” Tomlinson said.