One Direction star Liam Payne's struggle with fame

“Get ready, things are about to get a little bumpy.”

That was the first sentence of a letter Liam Payne wrote to his ten-year-old self and read out on BBC radio in 2020.

“You will have the time of your life, traveling the world and living a life you could hardly imagine,” he said.

“Then it’s over for a while and all you’re left with is the steering wheel. It will feel scary, like you’re alone, but you’re not.”

The pop sensation died on Wednesday at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. The exact circumstances of his death or the events of the last weeks of his life remain unknown.

But the star, who found global fame as a 16-year-old member of One Direction, had spoken for years about his struggles with mental health – and the challenges of adapting to fame.

One Direction, runners-up on 2010's The X Factor, were a new, different boy band – approachable, likeable and, aside from their musical talents, normal.

They were the boys next door whose age and good looks made them heartthrobs for millions of young fans around the world.

They went on to sell more than 70 million albums, complete five world tours, produce a feature film and star in a charity music video with then-Prime Minister David Cameron.

All this – at an age when many young people are worried about their exams, their first love or tickets to their next gig – not to mention whether they want to star in it.

“I mean, it was fun,” Payne later said in an interview with Men's Health Magazine. “We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts where it was just a little toxic.”

Paparazzi photographers. Tabloids. Night after night in hotel rooms, separated from family. Darkened coaches. Fans are screaming for autographs. And the new and rapidly growing world of social media.

He felt that few could understand the immense pressure that comes with fame at such a tender age.

“It’s almost like putting on the Disney costume before you go on stage,” he said.

He also admitted that he consumed alcohol to cope “because there was no other way to understand what was going on.”

When One Direction split in 2016, global fame was all Payne, then 22, had known growing up.

“It can be quite difficult to give up the expectations of being a megastar,” says Prof John Oates, who was involved in the British Psychological Society's consultations with the government on child actors and the duty of care for adult performers.

“Being in a boy band is no longer possible when you are no longer a boy. So in a way there is a need to become a different kind of famous person. So this is a new challenge.”

Payne's bandmate Harry Styles seemed better suited to the challenge.

His androgynous appearance was more in line with the direction the music industry was heading in 2016. He also began acting and starred in the Hollywood blockbuster “Dunkirk” the following year.

However, Payne struggled to make the transition.

In 2019, he released a debut solo album, LP1. Eight R&B tracks that failed to capture the One Direction fan base and fail to gain traction.

The problems of teenage stars have long been the subject of public debate, from Britney Spears to Justin Bieber.

Reality TV stars have faced similar challenges: both Love Island presenter Caroline Flack and contestant Mike Thalassitis have tragically taken their own lives in recent years.

In the Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, Liam Payne said of his own struggles: “I was worried about how low I would be. Where is the low point for me? And you would never have seen him. I'm very good at hiding it. Nobody would have ever seen it.

A key challenge for young stars, according to Prof Oates, is dealing with decline after a long period of fame.

“If fame was so important to their self-esteem, how can they be helped to deal with the loss of that self-esteem?” he asks.

“An important step in personal development is the transition from external sources of self-esteem to internal sources. Part of this has to do with something called the reflection function. This means you are able to think about yourself as a person and may be less reliant on others for your self-esteem.”

For those who have reached adulthood as stars, the process can be particularly difficult, he says.

Shortly after Payne's death, fellow 2010 The X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson wrote a tribute: “We both met at Euston station and shared the taxi to X Factor together. I can't help but think of the boy who was hopeful and looking forward to his bright future ahead of him.

“If he hadn’t jumped on that train and that taxi, I think he would still be alive today.”

Former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne said: “We all let you down.”

“You were just a child when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner?”

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