Singapore fans mourn singer Liam Payne’s death: ‘A tough loss to process’

SINGAPORE – Local fan Desiree Choo will never forget the birthday wish she got from Liam Payne the night One Direction played their only show in Singapore at the National Stadium in 2015.

“I held up a sign to show that it’s my 23rd birthday, and he acknowledged it when he asked for all the signs to be shown,” says the content creator, who ran local fan account 1DirectSG on Twitter, now X.

“It’s your birthday, 23 today. Hello, happy birthday, darling,” Payne said from the stage. The English-Irish boy band also comprised Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.

Ms Choo, now 32, says: “It is definitely a core memory now, and I’m happy that I have something like that with him to look back on.”

Like other fans around the world, she was devastated when she heard the news of Payne’s death. The British singer and songwriter

died at the age of 31

 after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires on Oct 16.

“It just doesn’t feel real that he is no longer with us. It feels like one-fifth of my heart is no longer with me.”

Ms Odelia Chan, who was 13 when she attended the One Direction concert in Singapore, says she and her group of friends are still in shock.

“This is the first well-known celebrity from our generation to pass away,” says the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information undergraduate, who is now 22. “Liam was an integral member of One Direction, he always brought a lot of energy and was always the one who gave the fans a lot of insights and sneak peeks.”

Ms Penelope Lee has been following One Direction since the group got their start on the 2010 season of British reality series The X Factor (2004 to 2018).

She says: “Although 1D never had an actual leader, I think all fans kind of saw Liam as the leader, and it was obvious that the boys also respected him greatly.”

Ms Lee, 24, had always hoped that Payne would reunite with the rest of One Direction after the members parted ways in 2016.

Payne released his debut solo single, Strip That Down, in 2017. His most recent single, Teardrops, was released in March. 

Ms Lee said: “It was always something that we had a very small hope for at the back of our heads, but it is unfortunate now that the reunion will not be possible any more.”

Payne was always the one talking about getting the band back together, says another local fan, Ms Naila Adany Mohammad Yazid, 21.

“In interviews and during his Instagram Lives, he kept that hope alive for fans. A lot of us felt like he was the one most affected by the band’s long break,” says the special education teacher.

“His death is a tough loss to process because many fans aren’t sure how to grieve. But at the end of the day, we’ll always hold on to the Liam we knew and loved from One Direction’s journey.”

Payne’s role as not just a singer, but also a songwriter in One Direction, was a big inspiration to home-grown artiste Rangga Jones.

“I’ve been such a big fan of One Direction since my teen years. I’d say they played a huge part in my music career for sure, and to suddenly see Liam pass like that was really heartbreaking,” says the 27-year-old R&B/pop singer-songwriter.

Mr Michael Roche, former managing director of Lushington Entertainments, the company that staged the One Direction gigs in Singapore and Hong Kong, calls Payne’s death a “tragic loss”. One Direction’s Singapore show drew 30,000 fans.

“He and the band brought so much joy to so many. May he rest in peace,” says the 66-year-old.

Payne leaves behind a seven-year-old son, whom he had with his former girlfriend, fellow British pop singer Cheryl Cole.