Desperate plea for 'a need to be kind' after Liam Payne's tragic death

Liam Payne died from "polytrauma" in October last year, a tragedy which rocked the showbiz industry across the world, and has led for calls for artists to receive more support

More should be done to support young musicians' mental health following the death of Liam Payne, Boyzone's Keith Duffy said tonight.

Duffy, 50, called the tragedy an "eye-opener to everybody in the music business" as he reflected on what it was like to be in a boyband in the 1990s.

Speaking tonight at the world premiere for new docu-series Boyzone: No Matter What, the star added: "Boybands have been known to be used as puppets and a marketable commodity that have a shelf life, but fame comes alongside that.

"And I think the great loss of that young man from One Direction is an eye-opener to everybody in the music business. It's all well and good to make money from young guys in a band. It's all well and good to promote their brand and their music. Somebody needs to take care of their mental state. Somebody needs to take care and make sure that they're OK. They need to be kind."

Five people have been charged with manslaughter over Payne's death. The One Direction star died from "polytrauma" aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Duffy, from Donaghmede, Dublin, remembered Payne's life and career at the premiere for the show, which explores the "fame, fall-outs and tragedy" of Boyzone, who formed in 1993 before splitting seven years later.

The event, held in Camden, north London, saw Duffy reunite with Ronan Keating and Shane Lynch. Mikey Graham was absent from the reunion, after growing tired of the "toxic" music industry and leaving it behind to live in rural Ireland.

Stephen Gately died in 2009 at the age of 33 shortly after the band staged a comeback. His tragedy is featured in Boyzone: No Matter What, which is available on Sky and streaming service Now from February 2.

Keating, 47, said filming the three-part series was like "therapy". He added: "It took hours and hours and hours to film this, and it took hours for us to actually get into that head space.

"So the first hour might be quite light, but after two, three, four, five, six hours of talking about it, it's incredible, it's like therapy. You go darker and deeper into your life and into your experiences."