Liam Payne

Liam James Payne (29 August 1993 – 16 October 2024) was an English singer and songwriter. He was a member of the pop group One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. Payne twice appeared as a solo auditionee on the British television series The X Factor in 2008 and 2010; in the latter, he was invited to join One Direction alongside fellow contestants, placing third and later achieving global success.

Following One Direction's hiatus in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career, signing with Republic Records in North America. In 2017, he released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", which reached number three on the UK singles chart and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song received multi-platinum certifications in both countries. The following year, he released "For You", a collaboration with Rita Ora which became a hit worldwide and received gold or platinum certifications in several countries. His solo studio album, LP1, was released in December 2019. During the first three years of his solo career, Payne sold over 18 million singles, 2.4 million albums, and amassed 3.9 billion streams. In addition to his solo work, Payne produced remixes under the pseudonyms Big Payno and Payno, remixing tracks for both his group and for singer Cheryl.

Payne struggled with substance abuse and mental illness throughout his career. On 16 October 2024, he died at the age of 31 after falling off a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following his death, Payne's track "Teardrops" debuted on the UK singles chart, alongside the re-entry of 11 of his other works.