Liam Payne's cousin Ross Harris has said the singer was "still basically a kid" when he died, having never mentally passed the age of 16 when he found fame. Ross appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain to promote his new single, released to raise money for charity in Liam's name.
Liam was 31 when he died following a fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024. During the interview, Ross was asked about his cousin and what he was really like to those who knew him best.
Cousin's Memories of Liam
"He was always very outgoing, very kind. Obviously he was known around the world as this person, Liam Payne. I knew him as Liam, my little cousin," Ross said.
He added that, mentally, Liam stopped growing when he found fame aged 16: "Even though he was in his 30s, he was still basically a kid. He didn't get to grow up like a normal person. It's a dream, isn't it? You go on a TV show and become a superstar. That dream can end in the worst possible way."
One Direction and Later Struggles
Liam appeared on The X Factor in 2010. He was put into the group One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, which went on to become the most successful boy band of the show's history.
On 16 October 2024, Liam was on holiday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when he fell from a hotel balcony and died. By that point, he had a long history of struggling with his mental health, public scrutiny and drug use. A toxicology report released after his death found that Liam had alcohol, cocaine and the powerful sedative Klonopin in his system at the time of his fatal fall.
Missed Call and Calls for Accountability
Ross revealed that he had missed a call from Liam on the same day that he died. "That was on the day," he said. "He called me on the phone, I called him and we missed it because of the time difference. I tried to call him but I think he was already gone by that point."
When asked about the role of the music industry in Liam's death, Ross said: "The problem is there is no accountability. When someone's image is used to make money, I believe there has to be accountability on the path to making that money. He didn't feel loved, which is ironic for a superstar because he had a million people who loved him, but they loved Liam Payne. He needed someone to love Liam."
He also said that he would have changed "everything" if he could go back in time, including "sending various texts". "I wrote a bunch of drafts to people saying Liam would appreciate a call. I didn't send any of them because I thought we'd have more time."
