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On the 17th of October 2024, the world woke up that is, for those who sleep early, to the news of Liam Payne's death. His death came as shocking news, yes, but more shocking was the manner of his death and the circumstances surrounding it, opening the door for flying speculations. And to think that he died at the young age of 31, leaving a lot of potential untapped.
Here was an artiste who spoke with a couple of fans the day of his death and appeared sober, even taking the time to appreciate the area of Buenos Aires, where he was staying at that time. Then, the news came out that he was heavily intoxicated at the time of his death.
More often than not, there is the tendency to assume mental health issues are issues that can be easily resolved. So people post flyers, trend hashtags, maybe do a little fundraising, and then go back to their daily lives.
But, it's more than that.
First off, the Enigma; Liam Payne.
“Liam James Payne was an English singer and songwriter. He was a member of the pop group One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. Payne twice appeared as a solo auditionee on the British television series The X Factor in 2008 and 2010; in the latter, he was invited to join One Direction alongside fellow contestants, placing third and later achieving global success.
Following One Direction's hiatus in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career, signing with Republic Records in North America. In 2017, he released his debut solo single "Strip That Down", which reached number three on the UK singles chart and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.”
From his childhood, Liam Payne had been battling and overcoming countless battles. As a baby, Payne was born three weeks premature and, in so doing, became volatile to serious illnesses. Until the age of four, he had to do frequent tests at the hospital because the doctors noticed that one of his kidneys was dysfunctional.
As a student, he excelled in two sports.
The first was cross-country racing, and anyone who has ever ventured into this sport knows just how difficult and physically tasking this sport can be. Yet, he excelled to the point that for three years, he was placed in the top three 1500M runners in his age group in his country.
Take a second to reflect on that, for three years (365/366 times 3), he was deemed athletic enough to be given a top three spot in cross-country racing.
The second was boxing. He took up boxing as a response to the bullying he faced as a secondary school student. You face bullying and instead of accepting it or waiting for the authorities to come to your aid, you simply pick up a self-defense sport. Amazing, ain't it?
So Liam Payne overcame Kidney issues, bullying issues, failure to win the X Factor, multiple break-ups, One Direction's indefinite hiatus, the ordeals of a solo artiste, and more, only to succumb to the deathly hands of drug addiction and mental health issues.
That says a lot…
As mentioned earlier, mental health issues goes beyond just trending flyers and all of that, you have to bring it closer to home.
What about the people around you?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about 60% of adults with a mental health condition go untreated, often because symptoms are misunderstood or unnoticed by those around them. Many people hide symptoms due to stigma or a belief that others won’t understand.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one in seven adolescents (ages 10-19) experiences a mental health disorder, yet parents, teachers, and peers may not recognize these signs. This can be partly due to the fact that teens often withdraw or mask symptoms.
A research published in The Lancet shows that 70% of people with mental health issues actively hide their symptoms at work or in social settings, often due to fear of judgment. This tendency to mask symptoms contributes to undiagnosed or unnoticed cases, even among close friends and family.
The Mental Health Foundation reports that 90% of people with mental health issues experience stigma, which makes them less likely to share their struggles openly. This stigma contributes to a lack of awareness among friends and family, who might not recognize signs that their loved one is struggling.
A survey by Mental Health America found that only 30% of people feel confident in recognizing mental health symptoms in close friends or family, indicating a significant awareness gap. This highlights how symptoms often go unnoticed even among those closest to the individual.The American Psychological Association notes that people experiencing severe depression or anxiety often withdraw from social interactions, leading friends and family to misinterpret their absence as a need for "space" rather than a call for help.
These statistics show that it is very difficult to notice someone with mental health issues, unless conscious and determined steps are taken.
In the case of Liam Payne, he traveled with his girlfriend to Argentina, she left after a couple of days, and he died a few days later.
Can we say that those close to him hadn't been seeing the signs of his addiction to the extent that they didn't know to not leave him alone? Sadly, there can't be much dwelling on that because we have to respect privacy and boundaries at this point.
Notwithstanding, there are two lessons to take from his death.
Funny how we used to get love lessons from his song, now he has become a lesson
When a celebrity dies, they either become a legend or a lesson. Note that.
Now, back to the lessons…
Firstly, drug addiction is deeper than you think.
It's better not to start at all, than think you can do it once and then quit. Read up the lessons of those who eventually managed to leave drug addiction, it was and is very difficult to do so.
That first dosage, that first inhaling can do numerous things, especially for painkillers and antidepressants.
There will always be that gnawing feeling that you will quit until one of you does a coup de grâce on the other.
Awfully simple.
Secondly, how much attention do you pay to the people in your life?
At this point, it is necessary to make a distinction between Acquaintances and Friends.
Granted, everyone has their lives to live, but for you to call someone a friend or family, it means you'll shed tears on the news of their death.
So, in the words of Abel (The Weeknd), “Save your tears for another day,” you can save those tears if you take time to check up on them. Virtually, yes. But if possible, try to make it physical in order to see subtle signs of what could be wrong with the person.
It might not be effective, but it could also be effective, and it's better to bask in the euphoria of knowing that you tried, than to wallow in the quagmire of knowing that you could have tried.
In the end, all we are left with is memories of what was, and thoughts of what could have been. It is our hope that the family and loved ones of Liam Payne possess the strength to cope with this colossal loss and move on.
Ironically, his song, “teardrops” started doing massive numbers on streaming platforms after his death. So we express our digital teardrops by listening to teardrops.
Life remains funnily acerbic.
While his voice may now be silent, his immortality as an artiste will ensure that the lessons from his life and songs remain...
Post Article Clarification: One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consists of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik until his departure in 2015, and Liam Payne, until his death in 2024. They became one of the best-selling boy groups of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.