Paynes

LOUIS Tomlinson has opened up about the death of Liam Payne and has revealed he’s struggling to come to terms with it.

Pop star Liam tragically died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October last year.

The pair were firm friends after being in One Direction together from 2010 and 2016 and they continued their friendship after the band split up.

Speaking about the grief of losing Liam, Louis told The Independent: “I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age.

“I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all. It’s something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think.”

Louis is no stranger to grief, having lost his mum Johannah Deakin in 2016, when she died of leukaemia at the age of 43.

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Just three years later, his sister Félicité tragically died from an accidental overdose at the age of 18.

This isn’t the first time Louis has opened up about Liam as he recently spoke about him during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast.

He told the Dragons’ Den star: “I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him.

“I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the bnd, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively.”

Speaking about the devastating moment he found out about Liam’s death, Louis said: “In the car, in LA. I found out through Niall [Horan].

“I had the same feeling that I had with Felicity, and I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling; my 150 per cent wasn’t nearly enough.

“And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him. He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.”

Liam had flown to Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy for a five-day holiday, to see his ex-1D bandmate Niall Horan in concert.

Liam extended the trip but Kate returned home to the US.

It is claimed Liam then turned to drink and drugs.

One Direction were formed on The X Factor in 2010, with Louis and Liam being joined in the band by Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, who quit the band in 2015.

The boys came third on the ITV show and went on to sell over 70 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

LIAM Payne’s devastated sister has taken a swipe at people seemingly using his death for fame.

Just hours after his girlfriend at the time of his passing Kate Cassidy shared a video of her “last dance” with the late star on the anniversary of his death, Liam’s sister Ruth took to social media.

Taking a swipe about people “using his death for fame” in her moving tribute for Liam on the one year anniversary of his death, Ruth didn’t hold back.

“Everyone only seems interested in the public side of this.

“Some sadly seem more interested in the fame they can gain off this, but on the human side people need to remember when they speak, there is a son without his Dad, parents without their child and I am lost without my brother,” she said.

This comes after a video was shared of Liam lifting his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in a final dance before his tragic death.

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HIS FINAL DAY

Liam Payne lifts girlfriend Kate Cassidy in final dance before tragic death

Heartbroken Kate, 26, posted a clip on social media on Thursday night of the ex-1D singer attempting to hoist her up.

On the one-year anniversary of Liam’s death in Argentina, Kate wrote: “This video was taken during the last hour and last day Liam and I shared in this lifetime.

“I am forever grateful for the beautiful moments we shared. I will miss you for the rest of my life Liam.”

Elsewhere in Ruth’s tribute for her late brother, she said: “1year, 12months, 52weeks, 365days… whichever way I say it, it still means the most heartbreaking truth that you’re not here any more.

“When you used to go away on tour, and l’d cry that you’d be gone for a while, I always knew you’d come back, but now I can’t get you home, I can’t meet up with you somewhere in the world, I can’t facetime or text to see how you’re doing, it’s an eternal homesick feeling because we can’t go back.”

She continued: “I underestimated grief, woah did I underestimate it.

“I am paralysed by it daily. I thought I had felt it before but I know the losses before you were just intense sadness, you are the loss of my life, the one person who l will miss at every single occasion in my life.

“I’d taken for granted that my little brother would be there through life, what a cruel lesson to learn in our 30s, that a sibling is not guaranteed to be a lifer, that I have to face this without you.”

Ruth went on: “Your death will never make sense, no matter how much I study it, whatever angle I look at it, it never makes sense. You shouldn’t have died. 

“I have a reoccurring nightmare where I am in your hotel room just before it happened and you can’t hear me screaming for you, my brain is locked on your last minutes on this earth, the unaccounted minutes, the minutes I will never have the answers to, the minutes that changed everything.

“So much has happened in a year, so much to tell you, our kids have changed massively, you would continue to be in awe of your son!

“I’ve definitely got funnier (I know you’re thinking how is that possible right?!) – some of the jokes I make really make me smile because I know they would have earned me a ‘ruuu’ off you, l’ve visited some beautiful places but each place has confirmed, no matter the view, I will still feel your void from all corners of the earth.”

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She later added: “I think of my grief as a clock, I explained to you years ago when I was nagging you to be better at answering your phone, that my head was like the ‘Weasley’s clock’ out of Harry Potter, where it would check everyone in our family in before I could switch off and with you travelling the world, it’d really need your confirmation of being safe and sound before I’d settle. 

“Only now, there is a number missing off the clock, which means nothing in my days makes sense and it feels like noone is safe and sound.”

Liam Payne is seen in new Netflix series Building the Band filmed just months before his tragic death in Buenos Aires that broke hearts around the world

Liam Payne’s grieving parents gave the OK for his final project to be aired on Netflix just nine months after his tragic death for a heartbreaking reason.

Late pop icon Liam Payne’s parents were overwhelmed with emotion and pride seeing their son become a mentor on Netflix’s Building the Band that they wanted the world to watch.

In their grief, dad Geoff and wife Karen gave the green light for Netflix to air the show as they felt “this is how we want everyone to remember Liam.”

Liam’s friend and fellow judge Nicole Scherzinger, said the One Direction singer will “shine” in his final ever project as she revealed how the late star worked overtime to help guide musical wannabes on their journeys to form bands for the streamer.

He felt a kinship to the talent given he had experienced being an auditionee one moment and then within 18 months becoming part of the biggest boy band ever.

Nicole became emotional as she discussed her experiences working with the English star, who died of “polytrauma” after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires last October.

She recalled how Liam sang a One D hit for his audiences and encouraged his fellow judges to perform tunes while on filming breaks.

Doubts were raised over the show moving ahead, but Nicole confessed that Liam’s parents felt his screen work needed to be seen and celebrated.

Nicole said: “Liam meant and means so much to all of us, and we were very obviously sensitive to the whole process. We ultimately left it into his family’s hands and wanted to respect how they felt about everything and how to move forward.

“And his parents were there during the filming. They were amazing. It was so wonderful.

“They were actually kind of sat right next to us through the whole process, and they’ve been with Liam and with us through this entire process.

“So to know that we had their blessing, to know that they were so proud of him on the show, they were like, ‘oh, yes, this is how we want everyone to remember Liam’”

Nicole, who famously put together One Direction on the X Factor series amid pushback from Simon Cowell, said of working with Liam: “I am so thrilled for everyone to see Liam shine on this show.

“I just know that he was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor and to help these bands. “I know that he really enjoyed our filming process and being a part of this process.

“I know that he put in the extra hours that he wanted to work with these bands even off screen.

“So when I think about Liam in the show, I’m thrilled for everyone to see his light. And he was amazing. Sometimes he would, I mean, I would be like, wow, ‘you just said that – that was awesome. I wish I said that. ‘

“He was really great at this role. He was giving back, and that’s one of his gifts.

“He was such a kind, caring heart, And like I said, and respect, he had the experience. He grafted with One Direction. He knows exactly what he’s talking about. “

Nicole recalled being sat alongside Liam as a judge was “crazy for me” because: “I still remember the day that I saw Liam auditioning on the X Factor we’re onto something.

‘But they did all the work themselves after that. And he had the global success that he had with One Direction in himself. It was a phenomenon, right? So for him to have achieved that success and then to be coming back and then giving that advice and mentoring these contestants was really cool for me to see.

“I don’t know if someone should write a book. It was really full circle and really, really beautiful.”

Nicole felt that many contestants had connections to her, Liam, with AJ McClean and Kelly Rowland.

‘It was awesome. It was really sweet, Liam, actually, I don’t know if the cameras were on or not, but when the cameras, when we were on a break, he actually sang. What Makes You Beautiful to his fans, because they were all freaking out that he was there. And he just loved it.

‘That was a special memory, and to be a part of that and to witness that,

‘Because the fans would make us do different things in the breaks.I sang, Kelly did something and then Liam talked us all tp put on a full show at concert. It was amazing. “

Nicole reflected on how she and Liam were perfect choices to judge the Netflix series.

“I started out really with a talent reality show and I was just myself. That’s the best advice I could always give is just leave with your heart and bring your balls of steel and let your talent speak for itself.”

Nicole spoke to US shows Access and ET to promote Building The Band.

Nicole, who just won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, admitted that a Pussycat Dolls comeback is not being discussed.

It is the 20th anniversary of the band blasting into the charts with their debut hit.

“I can’t say anything right now. I’m still in Norma land, but I don’t think it’s off the table to say who knows what the future holds with the Dolls. “However when asked: “Do you all still keep in touch?”, Nicole played down the group rivalries and reacted: “Not currently.

“But I love the girls, And I guess in a weird way, if social media is keeping in touch when you’re liking and commenting on their socials, I guess that’s probably because everybody’s so busy and half of the girls, they’ve got children and everything and their own family, so they’re super busy.”

Every episode of Building the Band will be streaming on Netflix July 9.

Ruth Gibbins has shared her pride at her late brother Liam Payne’s appearance on Netflix’s Building the Band, which was filmed before his tragic death

Liam Payne’s sister Ruth shared her “immeasurable pride” after seeing her late brother in his final TV appearance. The late One Direction star, who tragically passed away at 31 last year after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, features as a judge in the forthcoming Netflix series called Building the Band.

His sister Ruth Gibbins said she was “heartbroken” that he won’t have the opportunity to see himself on the show. Ruth shared on her Instagram Stories: “I didn’t know whether to share this, but it felt odd when I’ve raved about Liam’s work and achievements for the past 15 years.

“I’m heartbroken he never got the chance to see how brilliant he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!”.

Gibbins added: “You’re a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.”

Building the Band debuts on Netflix on July 9 and presenter AJ McLean has assured that the series is “unlike anything you have ever seen before”.

The Backstreet Boys singer stated last month: “Today’s most talented singers in the world will audition for each other and choose their own bandmates before ever seeing them.

“Our judge and mentor Nicole Scherzinger, and guest judges Kelly Rowland and the late Liam Payne, are from some of the biggest bands of all time. This show is all about one word: chemistry. And believe me: in a band, you really need some good chemistry.”

Liam had finished filming for the programme – which features singers aiming to form a band despite being kept in separate booths so they can’t see each other – several months before his tragic passing last October.

A summary for the series explains: “All they [the contestants] have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit … with incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal – to find the next great music band – the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.”

Meanwhile, Liam’s mate DJ Fat Tony recently disclosed that he attempted to “help” the star with his addiction “demons”.

The 59-year-old musician – a recovering addict who has been sober for 18 years – told The Times Magazine: “I tried to help Liam Payne with his demons. He was incredible – a really close friend.

“There were so many amazing times where he got clean and sober. Not everyone makes it. It’s a real shame what happened, falling off the balcony. I’m devastated by it.

“Addiction is a big part of our industry. People see being sober and clean as more problematic than being drunk and high. They’ll help you on that drink and drug journey, but not on the sober journey.”

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LIAM Payne’s grieving girlfriend Kate Cassidy has shared a ‘sign’ from the tragic star.

The One Direction star died in October last year at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

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Influencer Kate, 25, had been dating Liam, 31, for two years when he died.

She had been with him in Argentina until two days before his death.

Seven months on from that tragic day, Kate has discovered a previous social media tribute to the singer, has been shared 4,444 times. 

It is very similar to the 4:44 figure adopted by Liam and Kate as their ‘angel number’ prior to his sudden death.

Drawing attention to her shares and their likeness to the angel number on Instagram, Kate, 26, said: “Hi Liam.”

In numerology, 444 is a sign that the ‘angels are with you’ and are ‘there to guide you step by step’.

The way the figures are formed means they represent stability and a reassurance that you are not alone.

Following his death, Kate added ‘444’ to her emotional tribute to her ‘angel’ boyfriend and shared a snap of a note where Liam had written the numbers. 

It showed the former One Direction band-member’s fascination with ‘angel numbers’ and ‘manifesting’.

Kate revealed that she and Payne had been ‘manifesting their lives together’ – which was heavily associated with the number 444.

Numerology expert Sunny Dawn Johnston told Glamour: ‘When you see these numbers, know deep within that the angels are speaking to you, guiding and supporting you.

‘It’s a blessing to be in such direct communication with the divine.’

Only a few days ago, heartbroken Kate shared a snap a sweet unseen snap of the singer taken before his sad death.

Although you couldn’t see their faces, Liam’s distinctive eagle tattoo could be seen on his hand.

Liam Payne’s sad death

On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne sadly died, leaving family, friends and fans devastated.

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The grieving girlfriend often posts sweet pictures of her beloved Liam, as she tries to come to terms with his death.

Just over a week ago, she shared a slew of snaps from their last holiday together.

Kate has had an incredibly tough time, following Liam’s shock death.

In March, she discussed how she was finding life and dealing with the pain of such an enormous loss.

Speaking to ITV‘s Lorraine, she said: “I’m going through this healing journey, sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of bed in the morning and something I don’t want to do.”

Kate had been staying with Liam in Argentina but flew back to America before his fatal accident.

In an interview with The Sun last month she revealed his death “still doesn’t feel fully real”.

She added: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end.

“Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”

You can read Kate’s full interview with The Sun right here.

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