Stars across the world have shared tributes following the tragic death of former One Direction star Liam Payne. The latest being Justin Bieber, who shared a moving statement on social media on October 21.
© Tobias SkarlovnikThe "Baby" singer took to Instagram to share a video of the many fan tributes dedicated to the late singer, who died aged 31 after falling off a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
READ: Liam Payne's toxicology report reveals heartbreaking details
Poignantly, he shared the fan video, captioned: "rest easy liam" with a silver heart emoji to show his own grief at the loss of the young musician.
A voiceover for the clip said: "Just remember, you are allowed to grieve as a fan. You are allowed to love someone you’ve never met. You are allowed to admire someone for their art. You are allowed to cry, to break, to feel like a part of you is gone."
There are many parallels between Justin and Liam, as they both got their career starts as teen idols who received major media attention growing up, and struggled to grapple with fame. But fans may not be aware that they had their own complicated relationship, which the former One Direction star spoke of in 2022.
Here's all you need to know about their tumultuous relationship.
Major similarities
© Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/ShutterstockBoth teen idols, Justin and Liam both came to fame around the same time and age; the former became famous aged 13 in 2008, while the latter came in third place in X-Factor's 2010 show aged 16. As part of One Direction, Liam had a legion of teenage fans, much like Justin, and both artists found major chart success as a result of their strong fanbases.
© Micah SmithAs a solo star who rose to fame two years before the boy band, Justin became the archetype for that extraordinary level of fame. British TV host Konnie Huq later recalled telling Liam in The Xtra Factor that he could be as "big as [Bieber] one day," noting their similar looks as they shared the same hair.
Liam Payne's rise to fame and career timeline
© NBC- 2008: Liam auditions for The X-Factor at 14 years old and is told to come back in two years by Simon Cowell.
- 2010: Liam returns to The X-Factor auditions and is placed in a group with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, forming One Direction. The band place third in the competition.
- September 2011: One Direction's debut single, 'What Makes You Beautiful' goes to number one in the UK and around the world. Since then, the band have had 14 top ten hits in the UK and four number-one albums on the Billboard 200.
- December 2011: Liam embarks on his first world tour with One Direction.
- November 2012: One Direction releases their second album, Take Me Home.
- August 2013: The band's documentary film One Direction: This Is Us, hit the big screen, with thousands of fans supporting the film at its premiere in London's Leicester Square.
- November 2013: One Direction releases their third album, Midnight Memories.
- December 2016: One Direction announce their indefinite hiatus.
- May 2017: Liam releases his debut single, 'Strip That Down', in May.
- December 2019: Liam releases his first and only album, LP1, which reaches the top 20 in the UK.
- March 2023: Liam releases a comeback single, 'Teardrops'.
- October 2023: Reports that Liam's second studio album has been put on hold.
What caused the rift
© GettyLiam shared his side of the story on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, revealing that he was drunk on Instagram when someone mentioned Justin's name.
© HandoutHe revealed that he said the "only thing between me and him is I haven't been arrested," adding that he had not intended to offend the singer but "it started some beef."
This certainly made things difficult as what started as an online feud led to difficulties in real life, as One Direction shared a number of fans with Justin, and the stars would often bump into one another at award ceremonies.
Becoming friends
© Matt McNultyThe duo seemed to bury the hatchet as they had a heart-to-heart, in which Liam confessed: "I've always felt for you."
He explained to Justin: "Number one, I've done all the things that you've done and I've never been caught for any of them... number two, I've always really felt for you, mate, and I think in our situation we all suffer from the same disease."
© InstagramHe also acknowledged that while he had his bandmates to support him, for Justin, he was alone. He told the singer: "I know in your camp you're you and there’s no one like you, so you can't turn around and have that shoulder."
Justin reportedly told Liam in response that what he said gave him "chills," and they became friends following their conversation.
