While gaining fame thanks to his time with One Direction, Liam Payne also explored a solo career and even appeared in shows like Dancing With The Stars. During his solo career, the singer sold over two million albums and accumulated nearly four billion streams. Sadly, throughout his life, Payne suffered from substance abuse and on October 16th, he passed away after falling off a third-floor balcony. With many stars paying tribute to Payne, Boy George recently shared his regret over statements he made about the singer.
Appearing on the High Performance podcast, George recalled watching some online videos of Payne just days before he passed away. “In the case of Liam Payne, I watched him a few days before it happened. I remember watching online, and I’d actually put a message under a post saying, ‘He’s off his nut,’ which wasn’t very nice but I felt it.” He added, “I felt like he was out of control.”
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Boy George Felt Sad Watching Liam Payne’s Father
Although sharing his thoughts about Payne, George, like many, was shocked when he passed away. “When it happened, it just hit me. The same way that Amy Winehouse hit me, because it felt so senseless. I was up at 5 in the morning and it came up on the American news and I was literally like, ‘What the f—?’ I was literally like, ‘No, this isn’t real.’ I couldn’t take it in.”
With George taking a moment to pay tribute to Payne, the singer posted a picture of him on Instagram. He captioned the post, writing, “You can absolutely have a broken heart over someone you don’t know. This is the saddest news ever.” Fans rallied around George, sharing their thoughts on Payne’s passing. “The hardest part of Liam’s sudden death is his young age. Whatever the outcome of the post mortem he was still only 31. As many have said, he has a young son.”
After Payne passed away, his father, Geoff, traveled to Buenos Aires where the incident took place. Recalling watching it unfold, George insisted, “I watched the dad. Heartbreaking. I was quite tearful about it. I really felt very sad.”
(Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Victoria & Albert Museum)