Embracing Humor: Liam Payne’s Take on Taking Each Day As It Comes Revisited in 2013 Interview
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of death and substance abuse.
Amid the untimely demise of beloved singing sensation and One Direction alum Liam Payne, his decade-old interview with E News—back when he was still part of the band—resurfaced. In 2013, One Direction reached the peak of its popularity. When asked how he and his fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik handled the overwhelming attention, Payne gave a beautiful message about embracing kindness and happiness.
“We just take each day as it comes,” he told the outlet. “The thing about us is we’re not taking it too seriously. We’re just here to have a bit of a laugh, and then whatever else comes with it is great,” Payne said of his bond with former bandmates.
The For You crooner further explained how that mentality helped them stay humble despite the roaring fame. On a humble note, Payne added that whatever the band had achieved so far was beyond anything they had anticipated or aimed for. “Just things that have just happened. It’s not anything that we’ve kind of reached for in a way,” he added.
On October 16, the For You hitmaker fell to death from the third-floor balcony of his hotel CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As per a 911 call transcript from the hotel’s chief receptionist, Payne was trashing his hotel room, presumably under the influence of alcohol, leading up to his death.
The singer has had a history of alcohol abuse and checked himself into rehab twice throughout his life. “I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be,” he said on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021. “Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it,” he added.
Payne confessed at the time that his mental health issues were “really, really, really severe.” It continued to be like that until he had an epiphany to fix himself. He was 31 at the time of his tragic passing and is survived by his 7-year-old son Bear, whom he shares with Girls Aloud star Cheryl.