Among the harrowing details of the pop star and former One Direction member Liam Payne’s death at 31 were the ample signs he needed help. Payne first auditioned for X Factor at 14 and became globally famous before his 17th birthday. Sold a gilded promise of what fame would bring, he soon found himself objectified and exploited by the music industry, the media and even his own fans.
Payne spoke with grace and honesty in interviews and on social media about the mental health and substance abuse issues he experienced both during and after his time in One Direction: his openness about these struggles added a painful dimension to the shock and grief felt by fans and onlookers after he died in Buenos Aires on 16 October. And though his death was shocking, Payne’s media presence generated a very different response while he was still alive. In recent years and months, he had been the subject of mockery for viral clips which featured him dancing erratically or interacting with fans, not seeming entirely there. Such posts circulated before he died.
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