Late One Direction Icon, With a Solo Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Hit, Would Have Turned 33 Today

Nearly two years after his death, One Direction vocalist Liam Payne would have turned 33 today.

The boy band was formed in 2010 with the help of Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger. During the 2010 season of The X Factor, Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson all auditioned individually before being brought together by Cowell and Scherzinger to form One Direction. The group performed together for nearly six years before announcing an indefinite hiatus in January 2016.

As the band members went their separate ways, Payne launched a successful solo career, releasing his debut single “Strip That Down” in 2017. The song scored a solo top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, launching him into a thriving career. Although the band had moved on, Payne maintained contact with most of his former bandmates and even saw Horan in concert only two weeks before his death.

Payne was at Horan’s concert on Oct. 2, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, “dancing, waving and cheering,” a fan told People. However, only 14 days later, Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony.

He died shortly after a staff member had called the police, concerned that he was “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol,” BBC reported on the day of his death.

Payne was pronounced dead at the scene, with police finding his room in “total disorder.” Argentine media published photos, reportedly from his room, showing multiple bottles, a broken TV and a half-full glass of champagne.

On Nov. 7, 2024, the prosecutor’s office said toxicology tests showed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant, BBC reported. They ruled out self-harm or physical intervention by a third party and also ruled out “a conscious or voluntary act,” believing he didn’t know what he was doing.

Scherzinger, who helped form One Direction on The X Factor, said it was “such a blessing” to get to work with him.

“You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you,” Scherzinger said on Instagram. “I will ‘miss you’ my friend and carry you in my heart.”

Payne released five studio albums with One Direction and one solo record during his career. For this reason and many others, we take a moment to remember him today.