Liam Payne dies at the age of 31

[mackenzie]

Just goes to show that loads of fame and money mean nothing compared to having good mental health.
In a lot of cases they just exacerbate poor mental health.
It's incredibly sad what has happened to a young man and father.

 

[kaz7]

I was an Xfactor watcher and i saw his first audition , simon told him he was not ready , he was 14 or so , he came back two years later and was put together with the others and into 1D. It was actually nicole from the pussycat dolls who came up with the idea

They went on to crack america and all over the world , they were the most famous band in the world , think taylor swift level , they had a lot of brilliant songs , they would come back to the X now and then and they were the nicest boys still

He has a seven year old boy with cheryl, think what she is having to tell him today , such a waste RIP Liam

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

Why do you have to jump in and be nasty about him , it is not funny or clever

Not being sycophantic isn't being nasty. Saying least talented out of 5 people chosen because they could sing in tune and were photogenic teenage boys isn't exactly unkind. Was also posted in the which celebrity died today thread before being moved.

He obviously struggled with live outside of the group and his identity as a "star" which didn't seem to live up to his expectations. That was all the post was getting at.

 

[Barcon]

Was he/they a they a British group or American?

 

[BlueHammer85]

One Direction's music just meant a lot to a particular generation of young girls all around the world. Between 2011 and 2016, they really were internationally super-famous. Arguably the most successful export Simon Cowell ever managed. They were "just" a teen pop band who were more about image than the music, but that's pop at the end of the day, isn't it? And for a while they were kings of it. I don't think they made anything influential or particularly important, they were just five attractive young lads doing what they were told, making lots of teenagers very happy with a bright brand of pop that sold a lot.

For what it's worth I always thought Night Changes (below) was their best. They rarely made music that moved me, just personally, but right before it all fell apart they chucked in a load of Heartland and folk rock influences and it felt like they were maturing a bit. They were getting a bit more control over the writing and production on their albums and who knows what could have happened if they hadn't all fallen out (apparently) and Zayn hadn't left. Harry Styles has had a more than respectable solo career and Louis Tomlinson has tried his own Life Thru a Lens Robbie Williams-style Oasis worship in his solo material.

Liam had a bit of a solo career but his post-One Direction life is probably best known for him being in a relationship with Cheryl Cole, splitting up with her, and ending up in a very messy relationship with someone else much younger than him (girl called Maya Henry). He's got a 7-year-old son who's found out this morning that Daddy's died in Argentina and he's going to read all sorts of terrible things about Dad for the rest of his life if Maya's allegations hit the papers. Whatever Liam might have done in private, and whatever was potentially going to come out in court, he was clearly a deeply troubled person who's now dead having only just made it into proper adulthood. 31 is no age for anyone.

Well put all that.

 

[Phil1]

I don’t think anyone on here could possibly understand what it must have been like from being a a teenage nobody to a worldwide phenomenon in about 2 years.
The success 1D had after X factor was a bit mental and they were on a constant world tour for a while.
It’s hard to fathom how to deal with those changes and unless you’ve got an absolute cast iron family network it’s easy to see how these kids would eventually fall into a world they never knew existed and have the advantage taken by many music insiders after their pound of flesh.

Extremely upsetting for his family and friends. Just not a massive shock anymore, sadly.

 

[youngbob]

Was he/they a they a British group or American?

Four Brits, one Irishman (Niall). Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and, of course, the late Liam Payne.

They entered The X Factor as five soloists and all progressed from the auditions through to boot camp, but none of them made it through to the next bit of the competition. However, Nicole Scherzinger - she of Pussycat Dolls fame - was a guest X Factor judge that week and she suggested putting them all together as a group. Harry came up with the name One Direction, they made it through to live finals as a five-piece, and eventually finished 3rd (Matt Cardle won that year).

 

[Phil1]

Four Brits, one Irishman (Niall). Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and, of course, the late Liam Payne.

They entered The X Factor as five soloists and all progressed from the auditions through to boot camp, but none of them made it through to the next bit of the competition. However, Nicole Scherzinger - she of Pussycat Dolls fame - was a guest X Factor judge that week and she suggested putting them all together as a group. Harry suggested the name One Direction, they made it through to live finals as a five-piece, and eventually finished 3rd (Matt Cardle won that year).

Pretty sure they were the most successful act in X factor history even though they never won.

@Barcon is lying, I know he was a fan, it just doesn’t fit with his macho image to admit it..

:-)

 

[Resurrection Joe...]

Yeah I know, Jimmy Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, The Doors singer whose name I can never remember.

missing a coupla big hitters here...Robert Johnson & Brian Jones..

 

[youngbob]

Pretty sure they were the most successful act in X factor history even though they never won.

@Barcon is lying, I know he was a fan, it just doesn’t fit with his macho image to admit it..

:-)

The X Factor has a history of runner-up acts (or even acts who finished as far down as 6th) having bigger careers than winners in other seasons.

Year - Winner - Runners-Up - 3rd place (or 4th, 5th, 6th. etc.) - Act in BOLD had the bigger career.

2004 - Steve Brookstein, G4, Tabby Callahan.
2005 - Shayne Ward, Andy Abraham, Journey South (Chico Slimani finished 6th and got a number one single with that 'It's Chico Time').
2006 - Leona Lewis, Ray Quinn, Ben Mills.
2007 - Leon Jackson, Rhydian Roberts, Same Difference.
2008 - Alexandra Burke, JLS, Eoghan Quigg (Diana Vickers finished 4th and got a number one single with 'Once').
2009 - Joe McElderry, Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon (Jedward finished 6th and have had three number ones in Ireland; Lucie Jones finished 8th and represented the UK at Eurovision).
2010 - Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction (Cher Lloyd finished 4th and got a number one single with 'Swagger Jagger')
2011 - Little Mix, Amelia Lily, Marcus Collins

There were a few more seasons after that but as you can see there, out of eight winners in the 2000s and very early 2010s (the peak of The X Factor's popularity), you could only really say three of them had the best careers of the crop they beat. With Leon Jackson that's debatable for sure because his winner's song did well but Rhydian had a much longer and healthier career in pop.