Liam Payne: a look back at the late singer's life in pictures

Liam was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. 

His mother was a nurse, while his father worked as a tradesman. 

His childhood was plagued with kidney issues, which meant he needed frequent injections to ease the symptoms.  

While Liam originally auditioned for the hit show in 2008, it wasn't until he tried again in 2010 with a stunning rendition of "Cry Me A River" that he secured his spot on the show.

Despite auditioning as a solo act, judge Simon Cowell decided to group him together with four other boys on the series; thus, One Direction was born.

One Direction became a global phenomenon, drawing in incredible crowds and skyrocketing the five band members to almost overnight fame. 

Liam recorded five albums in total with the band, including Up All Night and Midnight Memories. 

Zayn Malik exited One Direction in 2015, breaking hearts worldwide and forcing the remaining boys to regroup. 

They went on to release two more albums together until they announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016, to the shock of fans everywhere.

Liam welcomed his son, Bear, in March 2017, whom he shares with Girl's Aloud member Cheryl Cole. 

The couple had been dating since 2016, and the singer was clearly infatuated with his young family. 

"I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn't really expect that I'd ever be in this place," he told People in 2018. 

"I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing that you're going to grow up one day into the person you're supposed to be." Cheryl and Liam split in 2018. 

The 31-year-old released his debut album in 2019 and enjoyed moderate success with his single, "Strip That Down". 

During his career, he also collaborated with artists like Quavo, Rita Ora and J Balvin.

Liam dated model Maya Henry for over four years and the couple had been engaged for two years before their split in May 2022. 

Maya claimed that Liam cheated on her and went on to reveal to People that their relationship was far from perfect.

"I definitely chose to forgive a lot of things," she said. "When you love someone so much, you have those rose-colored glasses. You're in denial, so you think those things will stop, and they don't, and that just becomes an issue among other issues."

Liam found love again with influencer Kate Cassidy; the pair were first linked in October 2022 before going public two months later at the British Fashion Awards. 

Despite their on-and-off-again relationship, Kate was with Liam just two days before his death.

Tributes have flooded in since the news of Liam's death broke; fans held a candlelit vigil outside the hotel where he tragically fell to his death, and messages have poured in from celebrities and fans alike all over the world sending their condolences.