Liam Payne tragically died on October 16th, 2024

Before finding success through The X Factor, Payne grew up with his parents and two sisters, Nicola and Ruth in Wolverhampton.

He was the only son of Karen and Geoff Payne.

The singer was introduced to the entertainment industry at the age of 12. He joined the Pink Productions Theatre Company and discovered his love for singing.

Liam Payne was part of the biggest boyband in the world but where did his career start?

X Factor auditions

Liam Payne auditioned for the X Factor twice before he became one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The singer was only 14 when he auditioned for the reality show in 2008, but was cut from the show at the Boot Camp stage.

He re-auditioned in 2010 after Cowell encouraged him to return in two years. The singer blew the judges away with his performance of Cry Me a River but failed to make it through to the boy's category at judges' houses.

He was given another chance when singer Nicole Scherzinger suggested putting Payne in a band with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson.

One Direction was formed and the five singers became the biggest act to come out of the X Factor, despite only placing in third.

They may not have won the competition but they swiftly became one of the biggest boybands of all time after releasing their first single What Makes You Beautiful.

The One Direction years

One Direction signed to Simon Cowell's record label shortly after the X Factor wrapped.

The band released their first album Up All Night in 2012, which debuted at number one in Ireland and number two in the UK.

The band became the first UK group to have their debut album reach number one in the United States.

One Direction went on to release four No. 1 albums, performed in the world's biggest stadiums and won seven Brit awards during their time together.

As of 2020, the band sold 70 million records worldwide making them one of the biggest boybands of all time.

Payne has been hailed as one of the band's best songwriters with the singer co-writing more than half of the songs on the band's third and fourth album.

One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Liam Payen's Solo Career and Fatherhood

Liam Payne embarked on a solo career as a producer under the name Big Payno. He worked with artists including Cheryl Cole, Pharrell Williams, and Juicy J.

He also released singles with Rita Ora, Wiz Khalifa, and Juicy J.

Payne experienced solo success following the release of his song Strip That Down. The song, which was co-written with Ed Sheeran, reached number three on the UK charts and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

As well as reaching professional milestones, Payne also experienced a major personal milestone when he became a dad in 2017.

Payne was dating Cheryl Cole in 2016 and the couple welcomed their son Bear on March 22nd, 2017.

The couple broke up in 2018 but co-parented their son until Liam's untimely passing this week.

Speaking about his family, Payne said: "Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."

Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear.

READ MORE:

• Here's everything we know about Liam Payne's death so far
• Liam Payne's harrowing final post before death aged 31
• Liam Payne shared heartbreaking One Direction image in final Instagram post