It’s a terribly sad day for all One Direction fans. Liam Payne is gone.
Liam died on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was only 31.
As a fan who has followed Liam’s career from the very beginning, from the meteoric rise of One Direction to his solo success, I have been lucky enough to meet him several times.
And despite the chaos that comes with fame, he was kind and generous every time.
But there was also a dark side; a side I saw during his last visit to Australia and that will haunt me forever.
I’ve spent over $10,000 on concert tickets, VIP packages and even flights abroad just for the chance to see One Direction.
It wasn’t enough to just listen to the music. I got to be there, feel the energy of the crowd and get a glimpse of the boys in person.
In 2013, I traveled to Los Angeles for the Teen Choice Awards, where I finally met them.
Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was only 31
As a fan who has followed Liam’s career from the very beginning, from the meteoric rise of One Direction to his solo success, I have been lucky enough to meet him several times.
I got my photo and chatted with Zayn, Niall and Louis, but Liam was whisked away by security before I could even say hello. It stung, but I waved it away, hoping I would get another chance.
And I did. I finally met Liam in 2018 when he came to Sydney to perform at The Everest.
That night, I stood to the side of the stage and watched him take selfies, sign autographs and talk to fans for almost 45 minutes.
He made everyone feel special, and not just another face in the crowd.
That’s who Liam was. Despite his worldwide fame, he never acted too big for his fans. He gave so much of himself – always with a smile, always with a kind word.
I’ve spent over $10,000 on concert tickets, VIP packages and even flights abroad just for the chance to see One Direction. (Pictured with my friend Danielle)
It wasn’t enough to just listen to the music. I got to be there, feel the energy of the crowd and get a glimpse of the guys in person. (One Direction pictured together in 2015)
A few days later I got a tip about where he was going to eat and like the devoted fan that I am, I got in my car and headed out.
As usual, Liam took time to take pictures with everyone there, smiling and chatting, before heading inside.
It was moments like these that made me love him even more. Not as a pop star, but as a genuinely nice person who cared.
In 2013, I traveled to Los Angeles for the Teen Choice Awards, where I finally met the boys. I got my photo and chatted with Zayn, Niall and Louis, but Liam (far left) was whisked away by security before I could even say hello. It stung, but I brushed it aside, hoping that I would get more opportunities
But then there was another night, a night that felt different and has stuck in my mind ever since.
I met Liam at the popular Japanese restaurant Sokyo in The Star. He had been drinking, and although he still smiled for photos, something was wrong.
His eyes carried a weight I had never seen before, a sadness that ran deep.
The people around him treated him like an object, taking pictures without saying a word and then walking away.
And I did. I finally met Liam in 2018 when he came to Sydney to perform at The Everest
It was heartbreaking to see. Here was someone who gave so much of himself, who was adored by millions, and yet seemed so alone in that moment.
It was a stark reminder of the ugly side of fame: the side that can reduce someone to something to consume rather than someone to cherish.
When I hear the news today, it is unbearably sad. I’ve received messages from other Directioners all saying the same thing: they wish he knew how much he was loved.
Fame can be cruel, and while we’ll never really know what was going through Liam’s mind, I hope he knew that to many of us he wasn’t just a pop star.
He was Liam – a kind, generous soul who always had time for his fans, even when things must have been hard.
But then there was another night, a night that felt different and has stuck in my mind ever since. I met Liam at the popular Japanese restaurant Sokyo in The Star. He had been drinking and although he was still smiling for photos, something was wrong
