Fans around the globe are mourning the tragic loss of Liam Payne, 31, the former One Direction boyband member who died last week after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires.
As remembrances pour in, many are choosing to celebrate Payne’s artistic passions, rather than dwell on his struggles. In addition to his music career, Payne was a talented painter and a familiar face at art events such as those supporting the Frieze art fair and London’s National Portrait Gallery.
Payne once shared insight into his creative process, saying, “I always think in pictures as much as I think in sounds when I’m making music,” illustrating his intertwined his love for music and visual art.
Over the years, Payne has posted glimpses of his paintings and sketches with his legions of fans. In 2023, Payne collaborated with a charitable organization called Choose Love, which aids refugees and displaced persons from around the world, by selling t-shirts printed with a painting he made depicting the five One Direction members standing on stage and seen from the back. A video shows how Payne made the work on canvas, which poignantly portrays the band members standing together, arms around each other, yet removed from the crowd whom Payne has washed over in abstract, pastel shades—a metaphor for their shared but isolating experience on the global stage.
@wecanliveforeverhq Our number 1 fan @Liam Payne shows us how he created the masterpiece for the choose love t-shirt on TikTok. You really did a great job. #WeCanLiveForever ♬ Stay With Me – Sam Smith
As fans reflect on his passing, there’s a renewed conversation about the toll of early fame. Payne’s artwork, in many ways, seemed to be a window into how he grappled with the isolation of stardom. He was only a teenager when One Direction (1D for short) became a pop sensation, selling millions of records and amassing scores of fans known as “Directioners.” But Payne eventually began to struggle publicly with the rollercoaster of celebrity.
While the investigation into the circumstances of Payne’s fall continues, initial reports suggest the involvement of drugs and alcohol. Authorities confirmed hotel staff had called for help, concerned about a distressed guest.
Even in the wake of his passing, fans find comfort in the art Payne left behind through his music and his paintings.
“Will be forever grateful to have the last painting Liam did of the boys,” wrote one fan who goes by Tash on TikTok, while sharing a clip of her Payne-print shirt for the Choose Love charity.
@tashwoodx ❤️🕊️ #liampayne #onedirection #nightchanges #fyp ♬ Night Changes – One Direction
His friend Eleanor Calder, former girlfriend of fellow former bandmate, Louis Tomlinson, is another. In her tribute to the singer’s “many examples of kindness and creativity,” Calder said Payne painted pictures of her dogs and gifted them to her. “He said he hoped it would help with making it feel like home,” she wrote in an Instagram story. “I can only hope that he is at peace now and will forever wish that his story ended differently.”
In the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, Payne’s unfinished portrait of the monarch gained media attention. “Unfinished oil canvas I painted of the Queen,” Payne wrote on social media, where he unveiled the work. “This is 4.5 feet tall and took about 50 hours … RIP HRH.” The 4.5-foot canvas stood as a tribute to British tradition, while another watercolor of the Duke of Edinburgh similarly reflected his respect for national figures.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan and Liam Payne attend The Portrait Gala 2019 hosted by Dr Nicholas Cullinan and Edward Enninful to raise funds for the National Portrait Gallery’s ‘Inspiring People’ project at the National Portrait Gallery on March 12, 2019 in London, England. Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images.
While Payne has said he paints “on occasion,” videos online suggest that both making and going to see visual arts was an important creative outlet for him. In February, he visited the Hayward Gallery’s exhibit “When Forms Come Alive,” and shared his experience with fans. It “left me so inspired to say the least … still thinking of the art magic!” he wrote.
In another post by a fan, Payne takes viewers on a tour of paintings in a home, which is not identified. He points to one favorite, classically rendered painting of a man holding a lantern and walking into a room with light streaming from behind him. “I don’t know why. I just feel like the light on it is so amazing… I love it,” he said. “There’s some of the most amazing art in this house… Look at this. I envy things like this, painting-wise… really beautiful,” he said, showing a colorful painting of a large, lone tree that appears to be a baobab, standing in a wide-open savanna landscape.
In March, Payne also posted about his visit to an exhibit curated by former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in Paris. “Had an amazing time at Robert Mapplethorpe’s exhibition in Paris,” Payne captioned.
Enninful is among those mourning Payne’s passing. He paid tribute to his friend’s loyalty, sensitivity, and unique personality. “True friendship is a rare gift,” he wrote. “Today my heart breaks for how short life can be.”
