A collective gasp rang out like thunder in the valley across our Daily Beast newsroom late Wednesday afternoon following the news that singer Liam Payne, who rose to fame as a member of the One direction, died at 31.
TMZ reports this. that Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina, where he was reuniting with his bandmates at a 1D-er Niall Horan concert. According to the site, he was acting “erratically” earlier in the day and was seen smashing a laptop in the hotel lobby and having to be carried back to his room. He has been making headlines on gossip blogs due to tensions with his ex-fiancée Maya Henry, who TMZ reported claimed that “he left her after asking her to have an abortion.”
In shock over his death, fans couldn't ignore the eerie nature that Payne had just associated with his One Direction bandmates. When a celebrity dies at such a young age, grim questions arise: What role did the often horrifying cost of fame play on a man like Payne, who spoke openly about addiction and suicidal thoughts? But there is also an impulse to return to the roots of human talent, to return to what we all fell in love with—and what was their passion—in the first place.
Payne auditioned for the role twice X factorBritish reality series that formed One Direction in 2010. His second audition, at age 16, is available in full on the show's YouTube page and is a sweet reminder of his talents – even at such a young age.
Cheryl Cole, one of the judges, notes how much he resembles Justin Bieber with his shag haircut, wavy bangs and v-neck T-shirt. He originally auditioned for the show in 2008 and made it to the judging camp alongside Simon Cowell. He was then cut and admits he thinks Cowell did the right thing. “I was very young at the time and wasn’t ready,” he says. “Now I’m 16, I’m back and ready to give it another chance.”
He sings Michael Bublé's version of “Cry Me a River,” a big band version of the 1950s standard.
The crowd is instantly in his corner. Cowell gives him a sideways grin, X factor viewers know what it means when his radar signals that he is observing a star. At the end of the performance, Cowell gives Payne a standing ovation.
“By the way, Liam,” Cowell says, “I wouldn't want to be in Michael Bublé's shoes right now, watching this… It was extraordinary. The confidence, the swagger, the charisma, the believability, the voice, the way you look: on the money.”
In a difficult moment, the pure joy and celebration of Payne's talent at the very beginning of his career 15 years ago is a cathartic pleasure to return to.
