Boyzone’s Mikey Graham pays tribute to Liam Payne and urges record companies to ‘have psychologists’ because ‘fame can be very damaging’ 

A Boyzone star has paid tribute to Liam Payne following his shock death, urging record companies to help their young talent manage fame.

Mikey Graham went to X to express his condolences after the One Direction star died on the third floor of a room at the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aries yesterday.

The former 1990s singer added that more needs to be done to protect young people in the industry as “fame can be very damaging.”

He wrote: ‘Rip Liam Payne. What tragic news. I think it would be a wise move for record companies to have psychologists on their books from now on, as a duty of care for the vulnerability of their young talent.

‘Fame can be very damaging, especially in today’s world. Lots of money. No one to help. Lots of yes people. No one honest.”

The English star rose to fame as a member of boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32

The English star rose to fame as a member of boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32.

He had discussed his own mental health issues while in One Direction in a 2021 conversation, where he discussed alcoholism and suicidal thoughts on The Diary of a CEO podcast.

‘I was afraid of how far my lowest point would go. Where is the low point for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it. No one would have ever seen it,” he said.

“There are some things that I have absolutely never, ever talked about. It was really, really bad. And it was a problem. And it wasn’t until I saw myself afterwards that I was like, ‘Okay, I have to fix myself,'” he continued.

He also talked about drinking.

Liam died in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night after falling from a hotel; He is pictured in 2023

“The problem was… the best way to keep us safe, because it was getting so big, was to lock us in a room. And of course: what’s in the room? A minibar,” he explained.

“At one point I just thought, ‘Well, I’ll throw a party for it,’ and that seemed to continue for many years of my life.”

“It was wild, but it was the only way to get out the frustration of the day,” he said.

The pop star reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex-bandmate Horan’s concert.

Local police have since launched an investigation into the sudden death, as tributes flood in the aftermath of the tragedy.

According to a statement from local police, they arrived at the hotel after being “informed of an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”

The English star rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside his former bandmates Harry, Niall, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson; (L-R) Liam, Niall, Louis, Zayn and Harry in 2013

Boyzone was founded in 1993 by pop manager Louis Walsh who was looking for an ‘Irish Take That’ (LR Ronan, Mikey Graham, Stephen Gately, Shane and Keith).

The band officially broke up in 2000, but regularly reunited for historic tours (pictured on stage in 2019)

Boyzone achieved international fame and six UK number 1s – including Words, No Matter What, All That Matters To Me and You Needed Me.

The band officially broke up in 2000, but regularly reunited for historic tours – including the Back Again…No Matter What tour in 2009 – the last time they performed as a five-piece.

The band also reunited in 2013 to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a tour and new releases.

In 2018, Boyzone confirmed their plans to split for good after releasing a final album dedicated to late bandmate Stephen Gately.

The band revealed that they would be calling it quits after their 25th anniversary tour and album.

It was a tribute to Stephen – who tragically died suddenly in 2009 from a congenital heart defect at the age of 33.