NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Liam Payne, a former member of the iconic boy band One Direction, tragically passed away at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His death, caused by a fall from a hotel, is under investigation. While fans around the world mourn his loss, here are 10 key facts about his life and career:
1. Born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England, Liam James Payne was the son of Karen and Geoff Payne. He had two older sisters, Nicola and Ruth.
2. Born three weeks early, Payne suffered frequent illnesses as a child and had a dysfunctional kidney. To manage his condition, he endured 32 injections daily until age four.
3. Before pursuing music, Payne was a talented athlete, ranking among the top 1500m runners in his age group in the UK. He later took up boxing to defend himself from bullying.
4. Payne discovered his passion for performing at age 12, joining the Pink Productions Theatre Company. He also performed in front of 26,000 spectators at a Wolverhampton Wanderers football match.
5. Payne initially auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2010 that he was grouped with four other contestants to form One Direction. The band became one of the best-selling boy bands in history.
6. After One Direction went on hiatus in 2015, Payne pursued a solo career, releasing his debut single “Strip That Down” in 2017, which achieved major success on the UK and US charts.
7. His first solo studio album, LP1, was released in December 2019. By then, Payne had sold over 18 million singles and 2.4 million albums, amassing nearly 4 billion streams globally.
8. In addition to singing, Payne produced remixes under the names “Big Payno” and “Payno,” collaborating with various artists and remixing tracks for his group and Cheryl, a former bandmate.
