Maya Henry, Liam Payne's former fiancée, asserted that the late One Direction star's team informed her that the "whole world" would hold her accountable in the event of "something happen[ed]" to Liam.
“Even until my book was coming out, even one of his friends was calling me and my mom being like, ‘You know, this isn’t a good time for [Liam], I don’t think you should put the book out,’” Maya, 23, recollected Liam's team during a Monday, October 14, episode of the "The Internet Is Dead" podcast. “‘He’s not doing well, and if something happens to him, you’re not only going to blame yourself – but the whole world is going to blame you.’”
In Touch Weekly confirmed that Liam passed away two days later as a result of a fall from his hotel balcony in Argentina. He was thirty-one years old.
In 2019, Maya and Liam began an official relationship and became engaged the following year. Nevertheless, they momentarily separated in 2021 and reconciled as an engaged couple. In March 2022, they definitively ended their relationship.
Maya published Looking Forward in May, a fictional work that she disclosed to PEOPLE Magazine at the time, which was "definitely inspired by true events." The protagonist of the book is Mallory Hunt, a member of the boy band 5Forward! She ultimately develops feelings for Oliver Smith. The characters are subjected to a problematic relationship, which includes an injunction regarding the continuation or termination of a pregnancy.
“From Dubai to Paris, London to Coachella, Mallory finds herself desperately in love with the former boy-bander despite fame, attention, and personal demons that threaten them both,” according to the book's description. “As their fantasy love affair goes from private intimacy to public meltdown, Mallory learns the pain and heartache when your love goes from girlhood fantasy to real life drama.”
In an interview with PEOPLE Magazine before the publication of the book, Maya disclosed that she and the fictional character Mallory had both obtained abortions.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have done it,” Maya disclosed to the outlet that she had terminated her pregnancy. “But then also, if I were to have made a different decision, then I would’ve lost the person that I loved. There were definitely difficult conversations about it. But looking back now, things happen for a reason.”
The Texas native disclosed that she endured unbearable agony after ingesting the abortion medication.
“It was very lonely, having these men tell you, ‘Oh, it’s going to feel like a heavy period, it’s not going to be that painful, it’s going to be easy.’ But I’m like, you’ve never even gone through anything like [this], so how would you know to tell me?” she continued to the publication. “That’s why I wanted to include it in the book, because I’ve seen so many people online talk about taking the abortion pill and it was the most painful thing for them. It’s just mind boggling to me that you could tell a woman how they’re going to feel.”
Maya shared a TikTok video ten days before Liam's passing, in which she described her previous relationship with the X Factor alum as "disgusting."
“When you constantly enable someone, they’re never gonna realize what they’ve done is bad, or they do realize and they know they can get away with it, which is what has happened with him for so many years,” she stated in the October 6 video. “Everything gets swept under the rug, everything gets hidden for him. I don’t know who the hell’s behind all of this but nothing ever comes out about him.”
The untimely passing of Payne has left his devoted followers and the music industry in a state of disbelief, and tributes from famous people worldwide are pouring in, CNN reported. Thursday morning, the news was headlined on the front pages of most newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Anne Twist, Harry Styles' mother, uploaded a picture of a broken heart emoji on Instagram with the message "Just a boy." The photo was accompanied by the name "Just a boy."
Dermot O'Leary, a former presenter on The X Factor, paid tribute to him in another Instagram post, saying, "I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor and blowing us away singing Sinatra." Singing was his passion. He was always a delight to be around, had time for everyone, was courteous and thankful, and lived humbly.
In addition, a vigil was held in front of the hotel during the Buenos Aires event.
Yamila Zacarias, a 25-year-old fan of One Direction, stated that the band "meant a lot to me because I was at a stage [in my life] where I wanted to form part of something bigger, and One Direction and being a Directioner was that for me."
In the background, sad fans were seen lighting candles and singing the song "Infinity" by One Direction.
Bear, who Payne had with Cheryl Tweedy, a former member of Girls Aloud, is the only person who will remember him after his passing. Tweedy is a previous judge on X Factor and was there for both of Payne's auditions for the entertainment competition. The couple acknowledged that they had divorced in 2018, yet they continued to share parental responsibilities.
Payne expressed his feelings of love and affection for Bear in a video uploaded to YouTube in 2023 to be discussed.
"He is outstanding. At the time, Payne admitted that he was concerned about how quickly he was maturing. He is incomparably more intelligent than I ever imagined I would be. He is truly a marvel.
