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Liam’s collaborator Sam Pounds was accused of “milking” the star’s tragic death when he shared his plans to release posthumous music on Friday.
Liam Payne’s first posthumous single has been delayed indefinitely amid fierce backlash from fans.
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On Monday, singer-songwriter Sam Pounds took to his X page to announce that he will be sharing his and Liam’s song “Do No Wrong” with the world on Friday, Nov. 1 — just 16 days after the former One Direction star’s tragic death.
Liam died of “polytrauma and internal and external bleeding” on Oct. 16 after he fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires. He was 31 years old.
Prior to his death, the star had been working on new music, which involved being in the studio with Grammy winner Sam.
On Monday, Sam shared his plans to release one of their songs in the hope that it’d be “a blessing to the world” and provide “healing power” for Liam’s loved ones and fans as they mourn his loss.
Sharing a screenshot of the three versions of “Do No Wrong” that would be made available alongside the song’s artwork, which featured an angel with a broken heart above its head, Sam wrote: “I pray that this will be a blessing to the world like Liam has always dreamed. I pray angels will comfort you all everyday while listening.”
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He then name-checked Liam’s sister Ruth Gibbins, and seven-year-old son, Bear, specifically as he added: “I pray that this song will be a blessing to Ruth, Bear, and the entire family. I pray that this song eclipses the negative echoes. I pray supernatural positive healing power will embrace each and every one of you.”
“With love ❤️ let’s all BE the blessing,” Sam concluded the post.
However, the announcement was met with backlash from Liam’s fans, who accused Sam of trying to profit from Liam’s death.
One popular response to a PopBase tweet about the single read: “they are already milking his passing. such horrible people.”
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While a viral quote-tweet added: “The machine never stops. It’s quite gross.”
“am i the only one who finds this fucking weird and like a cash grab…it’s not even been 3 weeks jfc,” somebody else wrote.
A popular Liam Payne update account also claimed that the star’s family did not support the release of this single, although this was not verified.
And as the backlash continued to grow, Sam took to his social media account again on Tuesday to say that he’d had a change of heart.
The musician deleted his original tweet before posting another one which reads: “Today I’m deciding to hold ‘Do No Wrong’ and leave those liberties up to all family members.”
Today I’m deciding to hold “ Do No Wrong” and leave those liberties up to all family members. I want all proceeds go to a charity of their choosing (or however they desire). Even though we all love the song it’s not the time yet. We are all still mourning the passing of Liam and…
— Sam Pounds (@iamsampounds) October 29, 2024X @iamsampounds / Via x.com
“I want all proceeds go to a charity of their choosing (or however they desire). Even though we all love the song it’s not the time yet. We are all still mourning the passing of Liam and I want the family to morn in peace and in prayer,” Sam added. “We will all wait. With love Sam Pounds.”
Liam released his debut solo album, LP1, in December 2019. It was thought that his second album was originally due to be released this year but was postponed by Liam’s record label.
English (US) ·