Liam Payne’s rise to fame was a family affair, with his close-knit relatives providing unwavering support as he soared to stardom.
The singer’s journey to fame began in 2010 when he joined forces with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on The X Factor, under the watchful eyes of judges Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl, the Mirror reports.
As Liam’s career took flight, it was his family who kept him grounded during those early days. His mum Karen, a nurse, and dad Geoff, along with his older sisters Nicola and Ruth, were among his biggest cheerleaders.
The Payne family frequently expressed their pride for Liam, who was part of the most successful boyband in history, and they remained unfazed by his superstardom. They were often spotted in the audience at The X Factor, and Karen accompanied Liam on his global tours with One Direction.
In the band’s 2013 documentary This Is Us, an emotional Karen was filmed buying merchandise ahead of their sold-out gig at Madison Square Garden in New York. She spoke openly about “missing” her youngest child, and admitted that it was heartbreaking to see him grow up “in magazines” rather than at home.
She said: “We miss him. He left home my little boy and became the boy in a magazine. If I have this I can still see him every day. When I see him on stage I absolutely burst with pride, but we do miss him so much.
“I shed tears just looking at him. They become someone in a newspaper or a magazine to you. I always believed Liam would make it but never this big. Never in my wildest dreams. He goes away for so long.”
Later in the film, Liam returns to his hometown for a family curry, continuing their Christmas tradition. It was also revealed that Karen, Geoff and their daughters had flown out to New York in an effort to spend time with Liam as they hadn’t seen him for weeks.
Dad Geoff, who worked as a fitter, tearfully told the cameras that he had missed out on “rites of passage” with Liam, such as buying him his first pint and seeing him finish high school.
He said: “It’s not just the mums, it’s the dads that struggle, too. But he’s the only lad in the family and I’ll never get this time back, he’s gone. And I can’t give him advice because he has seen more of the world than me.”
Liam’s relationship with his sisters is just as strong, and he served as an usher at Ruth’s wedding in 2016.
But his appearance at the nuptials hit the headlines as he took Cheryl as his date, and her low-key outfit sparked an online row as Ruth defended her little brother’s girlfriend.
The Girls Aloud star turned heads in a stylish high-neck Rick Owens charcoal grey dress. Ruth didn’t hold back, taking to social media to lambast the trolls who had criticised Cheryl’s fashion choice, saying, “I also had no say over what any guest wore to my wedding, I don’t know who does have a say but considering my brother’s girlfriend is one of the most beautiful women in the world she can wear anything and still look stunning as she did at my wedding,” clearly frustrated with the situation.
It was just a short while ago when Geoff shared a charming photo of his son on Instagram, encouraging his followers to “#like if you love my son! ” Ruth frequently shares content involving her younger brother on her Instagram account too.
She paid homage in 2014 with an adorable snap of Liam and Nicola, captioning it with a heartfelt message: “For national sibling day because i will be looking after these two forever #payneos.”
The joy within the family was palpable when Cheryl welcomed her son Bear in 2017, and Karen, Bear’s elated grandmother, expressed her overwhelming happiness on Instagram: “Finally I can boast that I am a grandmother!
“The happiest grandmother. I’m very proud of my children. Everything I’ve been doing lately is crying, because I’m very happy, now I have the most beautiful grandson in the world… Thank God.”
Liam’s family are “devastated” by the heartbreaking news of his sudden death and a family member revealed that Karen and Geoff hastily left their Codsall home in the middle of the night to travel to Argentina.
When approached by reporters, a family member at the residence stated: “We’re obviously devastated at the news but we don’t want to comment.”
Liam’s parents were seen leaving the house around midnight, and by 9am on Thursday, two women, thought to be Liam’s sisters Ruth and Nicola, had arrived at the property.
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