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Remembering Liam Payne One Year After His Death — See His Transformation From One Direction to Solo Star

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Updated on: Oct 16, 2025 9:23 am·

By Shelby Stivale and Katherine Schaffstall

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Fans watched Liam Payne go from being a member of One Direction to solo star before his shocking death on October 16, 2024.

Before joining Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in the famed boyband, Liam grew up in Wolverhampton, England, and knew at a young age that he was born for stardom. The British musician famously auditioned for the X Factor in 2008, but didn’t make it far in the competition. When he returned in 2010, Liam’s One Direction days officially began.

After finding success with the band, Liam pursued a solo career once the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. He remained in the spotlight until 2024 when he died at the age of 31 after he fell three stories at a hotel in Argentina.

Life & Style takes a look back at Liam’s transformation before his passing.

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Liam Payne Went From One Direction Member to Solo Superstar! See the Singer's Total Transformation: Photos

2010

Liam auditioned for The X Factor a second time and joined One Direction.

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2011

Following the group’s time on the reality singing competition, their debut album, Up All Night, was released.

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2012

The following year, Liam lent his vocals to the One Direction album Take Me Home.

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2013

Continuing their reign as the biggest boyband the world, Liam and the group released Midnight Memories alongside their This Is Us documentary.

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2014

The group’s fourth record, Four, was released.

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2015

Following Zayn’s departure from the band, Liam stayed with One Direction to release their final album together, Made in the A.M. Then, in December 2015, the band went on an indefinite hiatus.

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2016

Going solo! Following his time in One Direction, Liam started to kick off his solo career by signing with Republic Records.

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2017

His debut solo single, “Strip That Down,” was released. He also welcomed his son, Bear, into the world.

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2018

Liam dropped his First Time EP.

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2019

The singer released his debut solo record, LP1.

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2020

He teamed up with Dixie D’Amelio for the holiday-themed tune “Naughty List.”

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2021

Liam’s song “Sunshine” was released for the feature film Ron’s Gone Wrong. He also had a brief cameo in the movie.

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2022

The singer made headlines following a split from ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, in May of this year.

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2023

After attending a film premiere in March 2023, fans claimed that Liam looked different in comparison to previous years.

“Liam looks really smart, but so thin. His face is gaunt,” one fan tweeted. “Did Liam also got [sic] on the buccal fat removal trend????” another person asked, while a third wrote, “Liam and his girlfriend probably have their dates [at] a beauty clinic, so they can have the opportunity to get a s–tload of fillers and Botox together.”

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Liam Payne Went From One Direction Member to Solo Superstar! Transformation Photos Before His Death

2024

Liam rocked a shorter haircut during an outing in Paris in March 2024. He smiled for photos just seven months before he tragically died at the age of 31.

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