The sudden death of former One Direction member Liam Payne shocked the entertainment world, leaving fellow stars devastated, including an artist he once collaborated with on a major project.
Tributes from fellow stars continue to pour in as the entertainment world mourns the loss of Liam Payne, who tragically died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16.
Music producer Zedd was heartbroken and shared his grief on X (formerly Twitter) even though he couldn’t believe the news.
TV personality and DJ Paris Hilton also expressed sadness as she ended her tweet with “RIP my friendđ„ș.”
More musicians honored Payne with heartfelt condolences. Rapper Flavor Flav kept his message short but heartfelt acknowledging that the musician was too young to die.
British DJ and songwriter Jonas Blue also said farewell on the same platform as he posted a picture of himself and Payne.
Anne Twist, Harry Styles’ mother, reacted to Payne’s death with a heartbroken emoji on a black background on Instagram. In her caption, she wrote, “Just a boy ⊠đ.”
Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth shared his heartbreak on his Instagram (IG) Story as he reminisced about the kind of person Payne was to him.
In another IG Story, an upset Puth shared an old photo of him and Payne smiling at each other.
Just weeks before his passing, the late English musician supported Niall Horan by attending the Irish singer and songwriter’s concert on October 3.
Payne was excited to go to the concert and shared a Snapchat photo of Horan performing, captured from the large screen.
In another picture he shared, he captured the audience with their phones held up and the purple-lit stage as he was proud of his friend.
He also shared a backstage photo with Horan, where Payne wore a dark-colored jacket over a light-colored t-shirt while his famous pal sported a striped shirt. Both looked in good spirits.
Before attending Horan’s concert, Payne had celebrated his 31st birthday on August 29. He wrote about his simple wish for the day in a post as he walked alone on the street in a gray hoodie.
While tributes continue to pour in, authorities are still investigating the circumstances of Payne’s tragic death. According to TMZ, Payne fell from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
Earlier that day, hotel staff called emergency services after he was reportedly acting erratically in the lobby, smashing a laptop and needing to be carried back to his room.
Alberto Crescenti, the director of Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Services, told ABC News that emergency services arrived at 5:11 p.m., just a few minutes after the hotel’s call. Unfortunately, there was no possibility of saving Payne, whose identity was only confirmed after he was pronounced dead.
Crescenti added that Payne’s body was found in the hotel’s inner courtyard. He further explained to the local media outlet TN that the singer fell from a height of 13 to 14 meters (42 to 45 feet) and described his injuries as “very serious” and “incompatible with life.”
Before the incident, Payne traveled to Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, for a vacation besides attending Horan’s concert. However, his girlfriend reportedly left on October 14, while Payne remained behind.
With his recent death, Payne is survived by his son, Bear, whom he shares with singer Cheryl Cole. The couple confirmed they were expecting their first child in November 2016, with Bear born in 2017.
In a 2018 interview, Payne discussed the joys and challenges of fatherhood. He said, “I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place.”
Payne also humorously referred to himself as “Dada Montana” as he balanced his music career with being a parent. Before becoming a dad, he gained fame at 16 when he joined the One Direction boy band.
The group was launched on “The X Factor,” alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Payne played a key role in their global success until the band disbanded in 2015.
The entertainment industry continues to mourn the loss of a beloved artist, with fellow stars remembering his talent and kindness. Our prayers go out to his family and all the fans who loved him.
âLittle Miss Dynamiteâ blew up the charts when she was only 12: The story of Brenda Lee
Brenda Leeâs name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, youâll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, âRockinâ Around the Christmas Tree.â
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasnât old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her âunprecedented international popularityâ as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her careerâthat started before she left elementary schoolâshe topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brendaâwho then changed her last name to Leeâbecame the familyâs primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and motherâa cotton mill workerâwas not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: âEven at that young age, I saw that helped our life,â Lee said, adding âIt put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.â
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a âpioneer of early rock and roll,â by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved âunprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.â
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said âI donât think of myself that way!â She continued, âIâm just a girl whoâs been blessed to be doing what Iâm doing, and thereâs a lot of people whoâve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of lifeâs work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if Iâm a legend, then theyâre legends, too.â
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out âJambalaya,â by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foleyâs Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and bluesâhighlighted by her hiccupping vocalsâshe recorded early rockabilly classics like âBIGELOW 6-200,â âLittle Jonah,â and âLetâs Jump the Broomstick.â
When asked ifâwhen as a young girlâshe was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: âNo, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.â
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname âLittle Miss Dynamiteâ for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song âDynamite,â and in 1958, fans heard âRockinâ around the Christmas Tree,â a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
âI knew it was magical,â she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like âSweet Nuthinâs,â âAll Alone Am I,â and âFool #1.â
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didnât let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said âLove could be so cruelâ in the song âIâm Sorryâ and only 16 when she said âI want his lips to kiss meâ in the song âI Want to be Wanted,â both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom sheâs now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
âOf course, I wasnât even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didnât even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children werenât allowed ⊠in the casino area.â She continued, âThere wasnât anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.â
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, âMany times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.â
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. âI hung out with John,â she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. âHe was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.â
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