It has been a week since Liam Payne died in Argentina, and all five of One Direction’s albums have made a comeback on the UK charts. The band’s third album, Midnight Memories, has re-entered the charts at number 13, with sales and streams increasing 517% week-on-week. Three of One Direction’s singles have also re-entered the Top 40, and Payne’s final solo single, Teardrops, debuted at number 85. The star passed away on 16 October at the age of 31 after tragically falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. He is survived by his seven-year-old son, Bear, whom he shares with his ex-partner Cheryl.
Many tributes have been paid to Payne in the days since his passing. Niall Horan, Payne’s bandmate, said he was “absolutely devastated” and referred to Payne as “the brightest person in any room.” Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has disclosed that the singer was her “guardian angel” and that they had planned to get married. In a statement, Payne’s family said they were “heartbroken,” and added that “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul.” His fans have rallied together and sent his music back into the charts.
Night Changes, a single released on 12 November 2014 as the second single from One Direction’s album Four, has become the song fans turned to. It is one of the band’s most mature and critically acclaimed tracks, contemplating the fleeting nature of time and the loss of innocence. Harry Styles takes the lead vocal in the chorus, singing: “We’re only gettin’ older, baby / And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately / Does it ever drive you crazy / Just how fast the night changes?”
On Wednesday, Argentine police searched the hotel where Payne was staying when he died. They seized items, including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras. The singer’s father, Geoff, is waiting in Buenos Aires for his son’s body to be repatriated to the UK. Toxicology test results released had to be denied after various US news agencies claimed that Payne had a cocktail of illegal drugs in his system when he died.
Zayn Malik, Payne’s former bandmate, has rescheduled his upcoming US tour while he processes the “heartbreaking loss.” Former judge of X Factor Nicole Scherzinger, who helped put the band together in 2010, said she will “forever cherish and treasure” the times she had with Payne. The fate of the Netflix talent show called Building The Band remains unclear, which Scherzinger had recently completed filming alongside Payne and Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland
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