The late singer Liam Payne "didn’t feel very loved" in the period before he died, according to his cousin Ross Harris. The former One Direction member died at the age of 31 following a fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024. Speaking about the circumstances surrounding his cousin's death during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Harris, who is also a musician, noted that "it’s difficult when you’re in a world of fame".
He remarked: "He didn’t feel very loved, which is ironic for a superstar because he has a million people plus who love him – but they love Liam Payne. "He needs someone to love Liam, if that makes sense." Harris disclosed that prior to Payne's death, he "was going to send a couple of messages" to acquaintances, encouraging them to "hang out" with the musician and "make sure he knows he’s loved". "It’s like a dream isn’t it, to go on a TV show and become a superstar?
"But that dream can end in the worst possible way, which we’ve unfortunately experienced here." Payne achieved global stardom alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson after One Direction was assembled on the ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010. Throughout his career, the singer spoke openly regarding his battles with substance abuse and alcohol addiction, while frequently discussing the pressure of experiencing worldwide fame as a teenager. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial.
This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Reflecting on how Payne was "so sentimental" regarding their shared early years, Harris observed: "It sort of shows the disconnect between becoming a child star, effectively, to being an adult. "There’s a real gap that maybe I’d forgotten about.
He’d bring up things from our childhood that I’d sort of forgotten about because I’ve had this ‘normal’ life. "Whereas for him, he still had those core memories because it’s sort of two different lives he lived." Harris also recalled missing a telephone call from the Strip That Down performer hours before his death, telling the morning news programme: "I was in a writing session. "And I think my phone was just down, so I missed it.
We were recording, so I saw it a few hours later, ‘I’ll call him back’. "We finished and I called him and I think it was already too late." He described the situation as "a strange thing I keep trying to process", adding: "It’s going to be a regret that lives with me forever." Following his cousin's death, Harris composed a charity track in his memory. Released alongside The Bones Fund, the initiative aims to direct profits from the song to causes close to Payne’s heart.
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