Liam Payne, who tragically died aged 31 after plunging from his hotel room, reached out to fellow teen star Justin Bieber with some heartfelt comments following years of a rumoured feud
Pop singers Justin Bieber and Liam Payne were often compared to each other which created a fierce rivalry.
But once Liam candidly addressed their similarities, it appears the two managed to bury the hatchet with a heart-to-heart. Bonding over their shared experiences of being in the limelight from a young age, the stars formed a friendship, and now after the former One Direction singer’s shock death last week, Justin paid a moving tribute.
Liam died aged 31 after he fell from the third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last Wednesday evening. Following his shock death, fellow stars – including his bandmates Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan – and fans alike have expressed their thoughts about their sad loss.
Alongside the caption “rest easy Liam”, the Baby singer re-shared a touching montage clip on his Instagram Stories. The post featured clips of the many fan memorials around the world, which had them bring cards, flowers, balloons and personal letters to pay tribute to the singer.
An AI voice said over the video: “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.” Years after being told he “could be as big as Bieber one day” when auditioning on The X Factor, Liam shared his side of the story on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast.
The star revealed he had been drunk on Instagram one evening when someone name-dropped Justin, to which he responded by saying “the only thing between me and him is I haven’t been arrested” – referring to the time Bieber was arrested for drink-driving. Liam, who would occasionally bump into Bieber at awards ceremonies, went on to say that he had never intended to offend the singer but that it “started some beef.”
As he raised their similarities, Liam went on to share an emotional few words: “I’ve always felt for you”. He explained: “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.”
He also acknowledged that he had the support of his bandmates, while Justin was a solo artist. He added: “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 was taken aback by the kind words, and reportedly told Liam that what he said gave him “chills”.
Following Justin’s tribute to Liam, fans took to the original video to post their condolences, with one user writing: “Justin reposted, thank you for validating my grief over liam and please take care of yourself justin, i love you.”
“Beliebers are joining Directioners in their grief,” another said while one user commented: “Justin Bieber is a real one for showing his empathy.” It has emerged that Liam’s body is likely to remain in Argentina for around 10 to 15 days, until the results of toxicological tests are known. Once the investigation ends, the singer’s remains will be handed over to his family and sent back to England, as claimed in local media reports.
