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Liam Payne, ex-One Direction member, has tragically passed away at the age of 31. The singer-songwriter fell to the death from the balcony of his hotel in Argentina. The head of the Buenos Aires' public emergency medical services confirmed Payne's death in a statement, as per local media reports. While condolences are pouring in for the singer after the news broke out, Payne was known to be quite a controversial figure. Here are 10 things to know about the former singer and the controversies that plagued his life.
Liam's X-Factor
Liam James Payne was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. Payne came to The X Factor UK and with encouragement from Simon Cowell, Payne was placed into a group with four other contestants—Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, thus leading to the formation of one of the most popular boy bands of all time – One Direction.
Lukewarm solo career
After the boys of One Direction went their separate ways, Liam's solo career took at different turn. while his debut single with Quavo Strip That Down was a hit, the singer could not carry the momentum and his following album and singles did not perform well.
Liam's struggle with drugs
In recent years, Liam opened up about his battle with mental health and addiction. During an appearance on Sraight Talk with Ant Middleton in 2019, Liam said, "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". After spending time in a rehabilitation facility, Payne had proudly announced that he had achieved six months of sobriety in 2023.
Liam and Cheryl's relationship
Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole’s relationship was one of the most talked-about celebrity romances in the UK. They first met on The X Factor in 2008, where Cheryl was the judge. They reconnected years later, and faced age gap scrutiny after they started dating. Together, they had a son, Bear Payne, but ultimately separated in 2018.
Liam and Maya Henry
Liam was accused of grooming 19-year-old Maya Henry when he started dating the teenager, having met her as a One Direction fan. They even got engaged at one point, but Maya and him split after several allegations of cheating and abuse directed towards Liam.
ALSO READ: One Direction’s Liam Payne Dies At 31: Was He ‘Bullied’ By The Internet In His Last Days?
Beef with former bandmates
Liam was known to speak a lot about One Direction, as compared to other band members Zayn, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. He drew criticism from fans after he claimed One Direction was created keeping him in mind and criticising Zayn's upbringing in front of Logan Paul.
Liam vs Zayn
Speaking on The Dan Wootton Interview podcast, Liam had said about Zayn, “If he feels hurt and scorned in some sort of way that I don’t really understand, that’s down to him so there we go. It is very sad because One Direction was a wonderful, wonderful time in all of our lives.” Many fans took that as him being dismissive of Zayn’s struggle with racism and mental health issues.
Liam's viral TikTok video video with girlfriend Kate Cassidy
Liam and Kate often post pics and videos together. However, one video landed him in trouble where he was seen telling her, "You look good. Nice and covered up for once.”, after she was done getting ready. Netizens had labelled him a misogynist for saying that.
Attending Niall's concert in Argentina
Recently, Liam attracted One Direction fans' ire after he attended ex bandmate Niall's concert and danced, posed with fans. Netizens called him out for trying to hog limelight at the concert and seeking attention.
Allegations of abuse
Recently, Liam was making the headlines for all the wrong reasons as his ex fiance Maya Henry opened up about their abusive relationship which included him forcing her to get an abortion done at home, cheating on her and gaslighting her multiple times.