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Culture > News

A Look Back at Liam Payne’s Life and Career

Paige Peters
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter.

In what has to be an incredibly shocking and heartbreaking moment, Liam Payne has been announced dead in Buenos Aires, Argentina after reportedly falling from a hotel balcony. The former One Direction star and father of one was only 31-years-old. As Liam Payne and One Direction were a huge part of not only childhood but my teen years, this was news I never expected to see while sitting in an afternoon university class. He had just uploaded a photo on Snapchat of him and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, two hours before.

Liam Payne first debuted as a singer in 2008 when he was 14 on the British TV show, The X Factor. After being eliminated, he returned in 2010 at 16 and was put into one of the biggest boy bands of all time, One Direction. He quickly shot to fame along with the four other members, producing hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Story of My Life,” “Little Things,” “Best Song Ever,” and more.

After One Direction went on hiatus at the end of 2015, Payne signed a record deal with Republic Records in North America. His first single, “Strip That Down” was released in May of 2017, peaking at number three in the UK and number ten in the US. His debut album, LP1, was released in December 2019, selling over 18 million singles within the first three years of One Direction being on a hiatus and he generated over 3.9 billion career streams.

Sadly Payne has struggled with alcoholism since One Direction was at its peak and opened up about some of his struggles on a podcast with Logan Paul. In 2023, he announced his sobriety after he attended a rehab facility after his controversial Logan Paul interview. 

However, Payne was certainly not a man without controversy. His ex Maya Henry, came out on TikTok just a few days ago to discuss their toxic relationship as well as other controversial things he has done, such as preying on young fans. Maya Henry had just issued a cease and desist last week to the late star due to him continuously contacting her and her family and friends.

Payne leaves behind a son, Bear Grey Payne, born in 2017 with Cheryl Cole, who was a judge when he was on The X Factor. 

Liam Payne was a cornerstone of my childhood, and so many others. From staying up all night waiting for new song releases to rewatching One Direction’s iCarly episode to his fear of spoons, he’s impacted so many and will always be a huge part of pop culture. Though he was not a perfect man and definitely had his faults, he was such a big part of so many people’s lives and will be greatly missed.

Paige has been with Her Campus since September of 2022 as both a writer and editor before deciding to take on a larger role as Chapter Leader for one year. As a former Campus Correspondents at the Her Campus at UVic chapter, Paige published content, managed the executive team, oversaw retention and recruitment, and hosted meetings, now she is back to simply writing and editing, what she truly enjoys. She has published a piece with the campus newspaper before deciding that she preferred to edit and publish articles instead. She has done media for a non-profit as well as collabing with local newspapers to promote the festival that the non-profit ran. As a fourth-year writing major at UVic, Paige is minoring in journalism with a focus in creative nonfiction. She received a scholarship for a short story she wrote in 2020. She has also received various academic scholarships for her grades. She hopes to go into either publishing/editing or working for a newspaper/magazine somewhere in Europe one day, ideally in the world of Formula One. In her free time, Paige watches and keeps up with the Formula One world. She also enjoys reading a good book, bingeing one of her favourite TV shows such as Criminal Minds, and visiting bookstores.