Liam Payne: his life in photos

Liam was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England.

His mother was a nurse, while his father worked as a merchant.

His childhood was plagued by kidney problems, which meant he needed frequent injections to alleviate his symptoms.

Although Liam originally auditioned for the hit show in 2008, it wasn’t until he tried out again in 2010 with a stunning rendition of “Cry Me A River” that he secured his place on the show.

Despite auditioning solo, judge Simon Cowell decided to group him with four other boys from the series; thus, One Direction was born.

One Direction became a global phenomenon, drawing incredible crowds and raising the five band members to fame almost overnight.

Liam has recorded five albums in total with the band, including Up all night and Midnight Memories.

Zayn Malik quit One Direction in 2015, breaking hearts around the world and forcing the remaining boys to regroup.

They released two more albums together before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2016, to the shock of fans everywhere.

Liam welcomed his son, Bear, in March 2017, who he shares with Girl’s Aloud member Cheryl Cole.

The couple had been dating since 2016 and the singer was clearly in love with his young family.

“I always wanted to be a young father, but I really didn’t expect to be in this place,” he said Peopleand in 2018.

“I had my son when I was young, and you think it will be a magical thing that one day you grow up and become the person you were meant to be.” Cheryl and Liam split in 2018.

The 31-year-old released his debut album in 2019 and found moderate success with its single, “Strip That Down.”

During his career, he also collaborated with artists such as Quavo, Rita Ora and J Balvin.

Liam dated model Maya Henry for over four years and the couple were engaged for two years before splitting in May 2022.

Maya claimed that Liam cheated on her and revealed the Peopleand that their relationship was far from perfect.

“I definitely chose to forgive a lot of things,” she said. ‘When you love someone so much, you wear those rose-colored glasses. You’re in denial, so you think these things will stop, but they don’t, and it becomes a problem among other problems.

Liam found love again with influencer Kate Cassidy; the pair were first linked in October 2022, before going public two months later at the British Fashion Awards.

Despite their on-and-off relationship, Kate was with Liam just two days before his death.

Tributes have poured in since news of Liam’s death broke; Fans held a candlelight vigil outside the hotel where he tragically died, and messages from celebrities and fans around the world sent their condolences.