In the wake of Liam Payne’s tragic death, a famed songwriter has called on the music industry to keep under 18s out of the professional music industry.
The 31-year-old former One Direction star tragically passed away on October 16 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Singer Liam Payne has died aged 31. Credit: Joseph Okpako/WireImage/Getty Images
Authorities have confirmed that the ‘Teardrops’ musician fell from a third-floor balcony at the Hotel CasaSur, where he was staying.
In a statement to AP, a prosecutor confirmed that autopsy results showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries to Payne’s skull, limbs, and abdomen, that were consistent with a fall.
Tragically, the injuries were so severe that Payne could not be resuscitated and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Numerous tributes have now flooded in for Payne, from fans in Argentina to his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, his bereaved family, and Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of his seven-year-old son Bear.
Each of Payne’s former bandmates – Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson – have also honored the late singer’s memory.
Payne was a member of One Direction. Credit: Ian Gavan / Getty
The late singer was just a teenager when he shot to global stardom as a member of One Direction.
The group sold more than 70 million albums, completed five world tours, and produced a feature film, cementing their legacy as one of the world’s biggest boy bands before their indefinite hiatus in 2016.
For the past few years, Payne has candidly spoken out about the challenges of adapting to stardom. He once opened up about experiencing burnout and claustrophobia during 1D to The Telegraph, stating: “It sent me a bit AWOL at one point if I’m honest.”
“I can remember when there were 10,000 people outside our hotel. We couldn’t go anywhere. It was just gig to hotel, gig to hotel. And you couldn’t sleep, because they’d still be outside,” he added.
Geoff Payne, father of Liam Payne, visited the memorial for his son outside Casa Sur Hotel. Credit: Marcos Brindicci / Getty
Guy Chambers, the former songwriter for Robbie Williams, has now reflected on the ‘You & I’ vocalist’s passing and urged the music industry to stop working with talent under the age of 18.
“I do think putting a 16-year-old in an adult world like that is potentially really damaging. Robbie experienced that, certainly,” Chambers told The Guardian. “I have four children, so I think about this a lot. I know in Robbie’s case, with Take That, there wasn’t any proper protection set up to look after what were teenage boys.”
“That was a long time ago, but I don’t see much sign of change. There is not much more real care taken, that I have observed, from people involved in the big television talent shows,” he continued. “I would suggest that people should not be in a boyband until they are 18, and the industry should stick to that, too.”
“I still had my demons at 31. I relapsed. I was in pain. I was in pain because I relapsed. I relapsed because of a multitude of painful reasons. I remember Heath Ledger passing and thinking ‘I’m next’. By the grace of god and/or dumb luck I’m still here,” he added.
Bruce Springsteen has also spoken out about Payne’s death. Credit: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty
Bruce Springsteen has also opened up about Payne’s shock death and said that artists dying young is “not an unusual thing” in the entertainment industry.
“It’s a normal thing. It’s a business that puts enormous pressures on young people,” he told The Telegraph, adding that young stars don’t have “the inner facility or the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame”.
“So they get lost in a lot of the difficult and often pain inducing [things]… whether it’s drugs or alcohol to take some of that pressure off,” the Born to Run singer-songwriter said.
Springsteen revealed that he personally struggled with depression, and added: “I understand that very well. I mean, I’ve had my own wrestling with different things.”
More than 25,000 people have now signed a new Change.org petition calling for legislation to “safeguard artists’ regarding their mental health in the entertainment industry” – a change they are calling “Liam’s Law”.
Our thoughts continue to be with those impacted by this sudden tragedy.
