Legendary singer Bruce Springsteen has spoken out about the "enormous pressures" that young people in the music industry face, just days after former One Direction member Liam Payne passed away.
The 31-year-old singer fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of love and condolences from fans and industry peers alike.
Bruce spoke to The Telegraph on Friday about the toxicity of his industry and how it may have affected Liam in the years leading up to his tragic death.
"It's a normal thing," he told the publication. "It's a business that puts enormous pressures on young people. Young people don't have the inner facility or the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame."
"So they get lost in a lot of the difficult and often pain inducing [things]…whether it's drugs or alcohol to take some of that pressure off."
"I understand that very well," he continued, explaining that he and his fellow band members have all "wrestled with their own issues".
"Danny [Federici] certainly did. Drugs were not uncommon in the E Street Band, you know. There was a boundary, however– I stayed out of your business, but if I was on stage and I saw that you were not your complete self, there was going to be a problem."
Bruce hoped that if "one of my fellas passed on, they passed on of natural causes," explaining how the early deaths of music icons like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain proved that "people continue to fall to it…it's a death cult."
"It's a grift, man," he finished. "That's a part of the story that suckers some young people in, you know, but it's that old story. Dying young– good for the record company, but what's in it for you?"
The 75-year-old has been outspoken about his experience with poor mental health, revealing that he battled depression for a long time.
"My issues weren't as obvious as drugs," Bruce told The New Yorker in 2012. "They were quieter– just as problematic, but quieter. With all artists, because of the undertow of history and self-loathing, there is a tremendous push toward self-obliteration that occurs onstage."
Liam was also open about his mental health and sobriety struggles, revealing in a Sky News interview in 2019 that he was "lucky to be here still" after experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Bruce was not the only celebrity privy to the industry's inner workings who spoke out in Liam's defence this week.
Sharon Osbourne penned a tribute to the father of one via Instagram, writing, "Where was this industry when you needed them?"
She continued: "You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner?"
Rebecca Ferguson, who competed alongside One Direction on the X Factor and came in second place, pushed against the "exploitation and profiteering of young stars" in the wake of Liam's loss.
Liam is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shares with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.