Fans around the world were shocked last Wednesday when Liam Payne was found dead after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
As the Guardian's chief rock and pop critic Alexis Petridis explain to Helen PittPayne, 31, achieved extraordinary success as part of the boy band One Direction, selling more than 70 million records worldwide.
But it was also fame that was difficult to deal with. Although the members of One Direction were still teenagers when they formed, and strangers reportedly came together in 10 minutes during a competition on the reality show The X Factor, they spent much of their youth participating in an unprecedented global I had to live in the bright light.
Given Payne's subsequent struggles with alcohol and depression, his early death raised questions within the entertainment industry about whether more efforts should be made to protect young stars.
Oritse Williams The JLS member, who first met Liam on the set of The X Factor when he was 14, talks about the pressures of early fame. There are many people trying to take advantage of you. ”
Photo: Holly Adams/Reuters
