Pop star Liam Payne was just 31 when he died but he had been famous for half his life.
As a member of One Direction – the mega successful boy band that emerged from the X-factor TV show – he experienced the sort of high-octane, global fame that’s packaged and controlled in a way only the pop industry can create. He grew from his One Direction persona as a cheeky chappie boy next door into a complicated adult.
After One Direction broke up, he became a solo artist maintaining his connection with One Direction fans – many felt that they had grown up with the Wolverhampton-born singer – and winning new ones.
Payne, a father of a little boy with former partner Cheryl Tweedy, was active on social media where he had a huge following; he posted a happy photo on Snapchat just an hour before his death.
Payne died instantly following a fall from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires; he had been in the Argentinian city to see his former bandmate Niall Horan in concert.
Fionnuala Jones, cultural commentator and podcaster, explains the scale of One Direction’s success; Payne’s impact on pop culture, and why his tragic death made world headlines.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
