Liam Payne admitted he became someone he 'didn’t recognize' after facing death threats in resurfaced clip

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world was left in shock when news broke that former One Direction star Liam Payne had died at just 31 years old after a tragic fall from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the wake of the tragedy, a video Liam had posted a year before has resurfaced — revealing a deeply personal side of the singer and the struggles he faced in the time leading up to his demise.

Liam Payne's cry for help

In July last year, Liam shared a candid video where he opened up about the difficult journey he’d been on. Sitting on a sofa, he spoke directly to the camera and apologized for his time away from social media before sharing the reasons behind his disappearance.

He confessed, “I just took a little bit of time out, sorry for the MIA. There’s a few reasons I did that. I just needed to take a bit of time out for myself because I became someone I didn’t recognize anymore. And I’m sure you didn’t either.”

The video shows a side of the singer that fans hadn’t seen before—a man grappling with fame, regret, and the fallout from some obvious missteps. A big part of Liam’s struggles seemed to trace back to an interview he did with Logan Paul on the 'Impaulsive' podcast back in 2022.

In that interview, Liam didn’t hold back and aired grievances about his time with One Direction. He specifically took aim at his former bandmate Zayn Malik, and this sparked a major backlash on social media and even prompted some “death threats.”

Reflecting on this, Liam tried to take responsibility for what went down. “I’m not going to let anyone else take the blame for what I said. There was a lot of hate online for them which I thought was unfair because they didn’t do anything wrong, they were doing their job," he said.

He admitted that he spoke from a place of hurt. “I think for me a lot of what I said was coming from the wrong place. I just took it out on everybody else," he added.

In the same video, Liam mentioned that he had gone to Louisiana to try and clear his mind and find some peace amidst the chaos. He said he needed to “get my head straight” after everything that had happened.

It was a time for him to step back from the public eye and attempt to find himself again. The singer who once lit up arenas with his voice was now struggling behind closed doors.

Liam’s comments in the Logan Paul interview shed light on the complicated relationship he had with Zayn Malik. He talked about their different upbringings and how that affected their paths.

“You can always look at the man for where he is and say 'Oh yeah whatever that guy's a d**k', but at the end of the day once you understand what he's been through to get to that point,” Liam shared, acknowledging the struggles that Zayn had faced.

He even spoke about his upbringing — describing his parents as “overly supportive” — and comparing it to Zayn’s experience, which he described as “different in that sense.”

Family and fans mourn Liam Payne's death

After Liam’s passing, his family released a statement voicing their grief over the loss of someone so beloved. “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space during this awful time,” the statement read.

His sister Ruth Gibbins also shared an emotional tribute to her brother, posting a series of photos and a letter where she painfully wrote: “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

The loss hit hard; not just for his family but for his fans worldwide, who had grown up with Liam from his days on The X Factor to his meteoric rise with One Direction.

Shortly before his tragic fall, Liam posted on Snapchat showing a brief moment with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy as they looked into a mirror. It was a simple post, but in hindsight, it feels like one last glimpse into his life before everything came crashing down.

What made the tragedy even more heartbreaking is that Liam had been in Buenos Aires to support his friend and former bandmate Niall Horan on tour.

Fans gathered outside the Hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires’s Palermo neighborhood, where Liam had been staying, leaving flowers and messages of love behind a cordon, The Sun reported.