Liam Payne, known for his role as the "peacemaker" in One Direction, has been mourned following his untimely death.
The 31-year-old singer tragically fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earlier this week, prompting an investigation by local authorities. The sudden loss of Liam left fans devastated, with fellow band members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik each sharing heartfelt tributes to the Strip That Down singer on their social media platforms.
Fans have lauded Liam's unwavering support for his former bandmates - he was seen attending Niall Horan's tour just days before his death and had previously publicly praised Zayn Malik, who left the group in 2015. Despite the band's split and subsequent solo careers, Liam remained a steadfast supporter of his colleagues, though he confessed that their relationships weren't always smooth sailing.
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In the wake of his passing, fans observed that Liam was the only member of 1D who followed all his bandmates' official Instagram accounts, with only Louis reciprocating the follow.
Over recent years, the pair had spoken about their close bond, confessing that despite initial animosity when One Direction was formed, they had become the best of friends by the time the band announced their indefinite hiatus in 2016, reports the Mirror.
"Me and Louis did not get along. We all got thrown together, and we didn't know each other when we got made into a band," Payne revealed. "Now we are actually the best of friends within the band, which I think is absolutely hilarious," he confessed to Entertainment Tonight in 2021.
In his controversial 2022 interview with Logan Paul, Liam spoke openly about his bandmates and faced backlash after labelling Louis as "wild".
"And he wanted to be wild. That's his spirit. He's my best mate now but in the band, we hated each other. Like, come-to-blows hated each other. It was close," he disclosed.
Further into the same chat, he discussed his relationship with Zayn, admitting there were "many reasons" he had disliked Zayn, but insisted he was still family. He suggested their different upbringings had influenced their friendship.
"You can always look at the man for where he is and say 'oh yeah whatever that guy's a d***k', but at the end of the day you have to understand what he's been through to get to that point," Liam elaborated.
"I don't agree with any of his actions. I can't commend some of the things that he's done. I can't be on his side for that. Your only hope is that at some point in their life, the person on the other end of the phone wants to receive the help you're willing to give them," he concluded.
Liam spoke of his recent reunion with Niall, revealing he jetted off to Argentina for a much-needed catch-up with his former One Direction bandmate. "Going to Argentina to see Nialler. Niall Horan is playing down there and I think we might just go to say hello. It's been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We've got a lot to talk about. And I would like to square up a couple of things up with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But just ... we need to talk," Liam dished out cryptically.
Back in 2017, whispers of a rift between Liam and Harry Styles spread like wildfire when the Strip That Down crooner confessed that Harry's solo debut Sign Of The Times wasn't really his jam. However, Liam later clarified that his shade was more about his own insecurities than any real diss at Harry's tunes.
Fast forward to the 2023 Grammys, where Harry scooped up the Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album gongs for his album Harry's House, and Liam couldn't help but gush over his ex-bandmate in an unexpected Instagram tribute.
Taking to the 'gram, Liam shared a moody black and white photo of Harry looking chuffed with his Grammy win and penned: "Wow... this image is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you've earned. God bless you brother congratulations."
Liam also jumped to Harry's defence over his trailblazing Vogue cover, where he dazzled as the first bloke to fly solo on the front page of the US mag in its 128-year history, rocking a grey frock. "I thought it was great", Liam beamed.
"I think he's enjoying himself and he's free to do as he wishes and you know I just think that people don't need to be so bothered about stuff."
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