Today, Argentinian One Direction fans are gathering outside the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel to mourn Liam Payne’s death.
Across the globe, support and tributes have flooded in online for the late pop star who sadly passed away at just 31 years old. Liam fell from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, with ongoing investigations taking place.
Following Liam’s untimely passing, we’re looking back at his time in Australia, both as part of One Direction and as a solo artist. Liam was joined in the beloved boyband’s lineup by Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.
After their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” went multiple times platinum here, One Direction began visiting all major cities Down Under.
One Direction went from performing to 5,000 to over 50,000 people at stadiums in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, following their X Factor success.
Fans went wild for the growing boyband but it wasn’t all plain sailing, with Zayn having to leave Domain Stadium’s stage due to illness at one point, leaving the other four members to finish the set. Luckily, Niall kept things cheerful by waving the national flag and trying out our accent.
“Being such a young age and having so much come so quickly, it’s like, you’ve kind of got to cradle that forever,” Liam once told 60 Minutes Australia in a 2013 interview. The current affairs programme called One Direction “wholesome role models worthy of teenage hysteria.”
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“Our Australian fans have been there for us since day one, and we always have such a great time there,” Liam also shared alongside his bandmates on The Today Show’s Facebook in 2014.
While most of the boyband’s fans were known for their extreme dedication and enthusiasm, some were known to border on creepiness. Liam shared online that he once had his red Calvin Klein boxers stolen by an Australian fan from his hotel balcony in Sydney.
While Down Under, One Direction covered Natalie Imbruglia iconic ’90s hit Torn,” which they just so happened to perform at the judge’s houses during their X Factor run in 2010. Liam took the lead, charming the judges and viewers alike with his voice and sincerity.
Liam and his bandmates went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, bringing to an end one of the most successful boybands of all time.
Liam found moderate success as a solo act, with his most popular single, “Strip That Down”, featuring Migos member and rapper Quavo.
Two years later, he performed at Australia’s richest race day, The Everest, in Sydney in October 2018.
Six years later, the memories One Direction created for their legions of Australian fans will last a lifetime.
Check out tributes from the music world, including messages from Charlie Puth and Paris Hilton, to Payne here.
