The entertainment world was left reeling last October when news broke of the tragic death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction member. The news hit hard, especially within the music community. One of the first to pay tribute was Jade Thirlwall, a former member of Little Mix, who expressed her condolences and prayed for peace following Liam’s passing. Recently, Thirlwall opened up about the loss during a heartfelt interview with Rolling Stone, reflecting on the impact of his death and the memories they shared.
In the interview, Thirlwall was discussing mental health when the conversation turned to Payne’s tragic death on October 16. He passed away after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina. It was reported that Payne had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.
Thirlwall recalled the shock of hearing the news, saying, “It did shake me.” She described his passing as “unbelievably tragic,” noting that it came at a time when she was about to start a “heavy day of promo” for her single Fantasy. Overcome with emotion, she decided to cancel her press tour, feeling she wasn’t the right person to address the tragic loss, especially since she and Payne hadn’t been particularly close in recent years.
However, Thirlwall shared that the Payne she remembered was someone who was passionate about his family and his music. She said he was determined to make his family proud and pursue his dream of being a singer more than anyone she knew.
In October, Thirlwall paid tribute to Payne on her Instagram stories by sharing a throwback photo of the two of them together, calling him one of the first friends she made in the music industry.
