What did Liam Payne say about having suicidal thoughts? One Direction star once addressed his mental health in a candid interview

Former One Direction member Liam Payne tragically passed away on Wednesday, October 16, after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina. According to Argentine police, the singer fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Payne was 31 years old and had been in Argentina since the beginning of October.

TRIGGER WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS REFERENCE TO SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE.

Payne, who had always been vocal about his struggles with mental health, had previously opened up about having suicidal thoughts when he was in One Direction. Payne talked about this in detail during the 2019 documentary Ant Middleton And Liam Payne: Straight Talking, and a 2021 appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. The late singer said in 2019:

"For some certain circumstances - I'm quite lucky to be here still, which is something I've never really shared with anyone."

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"Just every so often, you're like, when will this end?": Liam Payne had opened up about his suicidal thoughts

Liam Payne's tragic passing on Wednesday led many to reflect on the singer's experiences with mental health troubles, about which he'd been quite open. As mentioned earlier, during the 2019 Sky show Ant Middleton And Liam Payne: Straight Talking, the former One Direction member considered himself quite lucky to still be there at that moment.

Payne confirmed during the appearance that he had "100%" acted on his suicidal thoughts when he was in a bad place. According to the late singer, there was no point denying it, as it had been "on the menu" a couple of times in his life. He said:

"I can't go too deep into it because I don't know how I feel myself. I still haven't made my peace with it, to be honest."

At the time, Middleton remarked that he'd been "on the cusp" himself, to which Payne replied that the former had probably been through the same situations as him. He added:

"There's times where that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day. Just every so often, you're like, when will this end?"

Liam further noted that this had "nearly killed" him a couple of times in his life. Payne then mentioned that he was "lucky" to have "really great people" surrounding him, who helped him through his difficulties. According to the singer, it was all about finding a "different way to look at it."

Echoing Ant Middleton's earlier remark, Liam Payne stated that it was when things start to pile on top of each other that "it can really get you." As per the late singer, if you were ever in a situation like that, you had to change your view about it, as the only thing you can control in that situation is yourself.

Liam's coping mechanism, when it came to situations like that, was to simply "get on with it" and "do today." He further explained:

"Get on with that bit, then there'll be another hurdle in a few months or a few weeks, or maybe even the next day. You never really know."

Liam Payne has also addressed his struggles with mental health in a 2021 appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. During the episode, Liam opened up about having suicidal thoughts during his peak at One Direction. The singer talked about being worried about how far his "rock bottom" was going to be. He said:

"I was worried how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where's rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I'm very good at hiding it. No one would ever have seen it"

The singer further opened up about his substance addiction and talked about pictures of him during his One Direction times where his face looked "bloated out." He called this his "pills-and-booze face." During the same interview, when asked by interviewer Steven Bartlett if his suicidal thoughts were related to his substance addiction, Payne replied in the affirmative. The late singer said:

"There is some stuff that I have definitely never, never spoken about. It was really, really, really severe. And it was a problem. And it was only until I saw myself after that, I was like, 'Right, I need to fix myself.'"

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As per BBC, a police investigation has been launched into Liam Payne's death. Meanwhile, an autopsy is also yet to be carried out. Payne is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, parents Geoff and Karen Payne, and older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.