Liam Payne was failed by the music industry, Sharon Osbourne said as she paid tribute to the former One Direction star.
Osbourne wrote on Instagram that Payne was “just a kid” when he “entered one of the toughest industries in the world.”
“We all let you down,” the TV personality and former “X Factor” judge added, alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne.
Osbourne is the latest to add her voice to the Tributes from around the world 31 year old singer Died after falling in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night.
“Liam, my heart aches. We have all failed you. Where was the industry when you needed them?” Osbourne wrote.
“When you go into one of the toughest industries in the world, you’re just a kid. Who’s on your side? Rest in peace, my friend,” she said.
Payne became famous as a teenager, first appearing on The X Factor in 2008 at the age of 14.
He returned to the show two years later, with judge Simon Cowell placing Payne alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan Horan paired up with Harry Styles to create One Direction.
Although the band placed third on The X Factor that year, they went on to become one of the most successful boy bands of all time, selling around 70 million records since forming in 2010.
Reflecting on his meteoric rise in 2019 BBC interviewPayne said he was “very confused about reputation” when this happened.
In the same interview, he talked about his “erratic behavior” when the band broke up. “I party so hard,” he said.
After the huge success of One Direction, Payne found his solo career more difficult to maintain.
In 2023, the singer was forced to cancel her solo tour after being hospitalized due to a heart attack. “Severe kidney infection”.
Osbourne isn’t the only one taking aim at the music industry after Payne’s death.
Boyzone’s Mikey Graham urged record companies to take seriously their “responsibility to look after the vulnerabilities of young talent”.
He wrote on X: “Fame can be very damaging, especially in today’s world. Lots of money. No one to help.”
Katie Waissel appeared on The X Factor with One Direction in 2010, has long been committed to providing better support for people who appear on TV.
Last year, she spoke to the BBC about the “huge pressure” she felt as a contestant on the show.
