Vocal LGBTQ+ ally Liam Payne ‘didn’t understand’ why countries wouldn’t legalise same-sex marriage

One Direction star Liam Payne didn’t “understand” why some countries were taking “so long” to legalise gay marriage, therefore discriminating on people based on their sexuality.

The musician died in October 2024 after falling from a third-floor balcony – possibly as high as 130ft (40m) – at a hotel in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. He was 31.

He was there with partner Kate Cassidy to watch a performance by former band-mate Niall Horan.

As news of his death spread, celebrities and fellow music stars, including Charlie Puth, Zedd, Paris Hilton and Ty Dolla $ign shared poignant tributes online. Fans of Payne, who shot to fame as part of The X Factor boyband One Direction in 2010, also flocked to social media to share their disbelief at the news.

Three people were charged in connection with Liam Payne’s death in November 2024. One person has been accused of “the abandonment of a person followed by death.” The other two, one of whom worked at the hotel, face drug-related charges. None have been named by the authorities.

Prosecutors said investigators had gathered dozens of testimonies, 800 hours of CCTV footage from the hotel and public roads, analysed Payne’s mobile phone and conducted raids on nine homes.

His funeral was held on 20 November in the UK, and was attended by a galaxy of A-list stars. Liam Payne’s bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were also in attendance – along with Simon Cowell, who originally put the band together on The X Factor.

The group was the biggest boyband of the 21st century until they went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, with all five members, Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Horan and Zayn Malik going on to achieve solo success. 

In and out of the band, each of them had a sizeable LGBTQ+ following.

A year before the band announced their split, Liam Payne spoke to Attitude magazine about his views on same-sex marriage, months after it became legal in all US states.

He recalled being in America with the band at the time the law was passed, and seeing “loads of great parties and flags flying everywhere” in celebration.

“It’s strange to me that countries are still refusing to pass the law. I just don’t understand why it’s taking them so long,” he said. “We live in a time where everything is a lot more acceptable, but certain countries won’t move on. It’s made into a bigger issue than it should have been by people who are holding on to history.

“You can’t live in the past, you have to move with the times.”

The likes of Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Switzerland had not recognised marriage equality at that time.

“All the issues people think are issues I don’t see as issues at all,” Payne continued. “I don’t pay any attention to whether people are gay or not, I am just into people. Loads of people are into all sorts, but if they are my mate and I get on with them, that’s all that counts.”

The “Strip That Down” singer went on to say that he had “a lot” of gay friends, who had been in his life for a long time.

“I actually find it funny that being gay is still something that’s talked about as though it’s not natural. I don’t go around saying: ‘Oh, this guy is gay’. I don’t make a big deal about it. I will just say, ‘This is my mate’. My mates are my mates, regardless of their sexuality.”

In February 2025, Liam Payne’s ex-fiancée Maya Henry broke her silence on the singer’s death in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, after previously taking legal action against him. In the interview, she claimed Payne’s drug use was the reason for their split. “Initially, it was the drug use and addictions that tore us apart. Anyone who has been with an addict understands how difficult that is,” she told the publication.

“While I loved him deeply, he did things that hurt me in ways I’ll never fully understand.”

Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he had with his then partner, Girls Aloud star Cheryl.

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