Liam Payne’s Death Leads To Tributes From Juicy J, Ty Dolla Sign And More

Liam Payne is gone, and fans around the world are stunned. The former One Direction singer was only 31 years old, and still in the midst of releasing new music. The circumstances surrounding Payne’s untimely death are still being sorted out. TMZ reported that the singer fell from the third floor of his hotel room in Argentina. The outlet also alleges that he was acting erratically in the lobby, and had to be carried to his room shortly before his fatal fall. Regardless of the circumstances, the music world has been mourning Liam Payne’s death.

Juicy J, who collaborated with Liam Payne on the 2016 single “You,” tweeted his condolences. “R.I.P. Liam Payne,” he wrote. “Wow I can’t believe it prayers up for the family.” A similarly heartbroken thought was shared by Flavor Flav, who was shocked to learn the singer had died at such a young age. “R.I.P. to Liam Payne,” the Public Enemy rapper tweeted. “Much too young.” Payne was the One Direction singer who leaned into R&B and hip hop the most throughout his solo career. His debut solo single, “Strip That Down,” featured a snappy instrumental and a guest verse from Quavo.

Liam Payne also worked with artists like A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, J Balvin and Zedd throughout his solo career. One artist he did not get a chance to collab with, however, was Ty Dolla Sign. Despite this missed opportunity, Ty revealed that he had spoken to Payne a few days before his death. “Just talked to you 2 days ago my guy,” the R&B singer wrote. “Ima miss u frfr.” Ty Dolla Sign also posted a video of Payne on his Instagram Stories. Zedd, who appeared on Liam Payne’s only solo album, LP1, celebrated the singer for his musical legacy. “R.I.P. Liam,” he wrote. “I can’t believe this is real. Absolutely heartbreaking.”

Liam Payne admitted hesitation to break away from the pop-rock of One Direction in his own music. He told Entertainment Weekly that he loved hip hop music, though, and cited Migos and Lil Uzi Vert as some of his favorite artists. “I listen to a lot of rap music,” he asserted. “It’s important to do something that you want to do, but you can’t forget your fan base, you can’t forget your roots.” Payne’s aforementioned song with Quavo was a top 10 Billboard smash in 2017, so fans didn’t seem to mind.