X Factor star Sean Smith has spoken out about the tragic passing of Liam Payne and admitted he can see how the star ‘went out of control’ after being in the music industry.
The singer, who was half of brother duo Same Difference, appeared on the ITV show in 2007 and met Liam when he supported them in the early days.
Liam died at age 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His sudden death has shocked the music industry and highlighted the pressures placed on young pop stars in the spotlight.
talking to the sunSean admitted that drugs are widespread in the industry, as he explained: “You could see how easily you get into that world and how it could get out of control.”
Surprised by the news, he confessed that he thought it was a hoax about the death of a celebrity: “I couldn’t understand how he got there, he was so talented, so down to earth and came from such a wonderful family that I just couldn’t understand it.”
Former X Factor star Sean Smith has confessed he can see how Liam Payne ‘went out of control’ in a cutthroat music industry that encourages you to ‘never show the cracks’.
Liam died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina (pictured auditioning on X Factor in 2010)
Sean rose to fame, alongside his sister Sarah on The X Factor, when producers brought them together to form the bubblegum pop group Same Difference.
Having experienced the feeling of being made to fit the mold of something you are not, Sean explained that he struggled to appear “perfect” all the time.
“They told us: ‘It’s always sunny in the world of the Same Difference, always.'”You always have a big smile while they touch you. If you do an interview, even if there are cracks, you should never show them.”
Sean recalled speaking to Liam on an X Factor tour bus when they were traveling together and the star confessed he had been offered to be in a band, rather than as a solo artist.
At 14, Liam auditioned for the first time on the X Factor, where he impressed the judges with a moving rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon.
Speaking before his audition in a thick Wolverhampton accent, Liam made his passion for music clear.
“I should really focus on my (school) work, but I think too much about singing,” she said. “It’s a dream and I would love to do it.”
Liam returned two years later in 2010, as requested by Simon Cowell, and initially auditioned as a solo artist singing Michael Bublé’s Cry Me A River before getting a second chance as part of a group at Bootcamp.
Sean confessed: ‘You always have a big smile while you’re having a massage. If you do an interview, even if there are cracks, you should never show them’ (pictured August 2022)
Sean formed one half of sibling duo Same Difference alongside his sister Sarah when the pair appeared on the ITV show in 2007.
Having experienced the feeling of being made to fit the mold of something you are not, Sean explained that he had a hard time looking “perfect” all the time (One Direction in 2011).
At 14, Liam first auditioned for the X Factor, where he impressed the judges with a moving rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, but failed to make it through.
Sean recalled speaking to Liam on an X Factor tour bus when they were traveling together and the star confessed that he had been made out to be in a band, rather than as a solo artist.
Here he would meet his future One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, and despite only coming in third place on the show, they became one of the biggest pop groups in the world.
An autopsy report confirmed that Payne died of traumatic brain injuries, after hitting the base of his skull on the base of a concrete umbrella after falling from a third-story balcony.
Reports from late November suggested Liam had antidepressants in his system when he died, and that a psychiatrist had warned he could no longer treat him effectively amid his recurring crises.
Toxicology analysis revealed that Payne had cocaine in his urine, blood, stomach and nasal passages. The antidepressant sertraline, sold in the United States as Zoloft, was also present in his system.
Previous reports suggested Payne may have ingested so-called ‘pink cocaine’, a psychoactive drug popular in Ibiza made up of ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Liam He called hotel employees ‘all the time’ to ask alcohol and advice on where he could buy cocaine shortly before he died and offered a bodyguard $5,000 to visit him, a newly discovered prosecutor’s file revealed.
In the weeks following his death, police launched an extensive investigation into his death; Five people have been charged, including several hotel employees and Argentine businessman Roger Nores, who denies being a suspect.
Esteban Grassi, the head receptionist who is now under formal investigation, claimed Payne called “insistently” to order alcohol and ask where he could get cocaine, allegedly insulting a member of staff who said he could not help.
In addition to this, text messages were allegedly exchanged between Liam and a female companion offering her $5,000 (£3,900) to “party”.