Just a guy. Three touching words of eulogy have been posted by the mother of Harry Styles, Liam Payne's former One Direction bandmate, on the shocking news of his death aged 31.
A somber epitaph, summing up a life, a loss, a lonely journey that began in a packed, noisy X Factor audition room at the age of 14 and ended all too soon with his gruesome death in the courtyard of a luxury hotel in Buenos Aires.
In 2008, when he first impressed Simon Cowell singing Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon, pupil Payne was told he was too young and advised to return two years later.
When he returned, he found himself a member of a new boy band, One Direction. They didn't win the X-Factor, but they went into the stratosphere after signing with Cowell's company, Syco.
It was every child's dream – and now, if not then, every parent's nightmare. The Faustian pact with fame has a dark side; screaming girls, dark tour buses, days spent in hotels. There can never be a return to normality.
It would be difficult to handle, even by an adult. For five ordinary guys? An almost impossible thing. Payne has spoken in the past about his mental health issues while in the band.
Even though he and his bandmates signed autographs, posed for selfies, packed stadiums and sold 70 million records, he couldn't shake suicidal thoughts. Attempts to self-medicate led to addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Did he receive professional support from a psychologist or a psychiatrist? I have no doubt we will learn more in the coming days as the world digs through his social media.
Payne was just 23 when he fathered a child, a son named Bear, with his then-girlfriend, former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, a decade older than him. The relationship lasted two years. At that time the group had broken up and he wanted to start a solo career, which failed to shine.
Did his musical mentors prepare him for what was to come? Elite athletes - from Olympians to footballers - are regularly given advice on retirement and how to 're-do' themselves after their sporting careers end.
For young pop stars, however, no such framework seems to exist – more alarmingly, no care. Although it's not yet clear what support Payne has received, generally teenage bands and singers are first pampered by record companies, sent on grueling tours, and then abruptly left as the numbers fail.
Former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel, a 38-year-old singer-songwriter who auditioned alongside Payne, said in a statement: "His tragic death not only leaves an irreplaceable void in the hearts of those who loved it, but it also serves as a painful reminder of the systemic neglect that continues in the industry. There are those who had the responsibility to provide the care and support necessary for the welfare of young artists, but too often, the focus remained on profits and not on people."
Payne had been in Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. Earlier this month they posted pictures of him attending a concert by his former bandmate, Niall Horan.
But despite carefully curated photos living life, things were not going well. After his single failed, he put the second album on hold.
Just days before he died, while his girlfriend returned home to the US, his ex-fiancée Maya Henry reportedly instructed lawyers to issue a restraining order to Payne after accusing him of repeatedly contacting her.
After Payne's death, Henry's representatives said she was "shocked".
Payne stayed at the hotel where he became increasingly irritated. Staff called the police, asking for help with a customer who was under the influence of drugs and acting erratically.
By the time they arrived, he had already fallen from the balcony of his third-floor room and suffered fatal injuries. Died from the crash
A life lived in the spotlight but surrounded by demons. Just a boy.
Originally published on bota.al
