Liam Payne was candid about his struggles before his death at 31 on Wednesday.
The One Direction singer-songwriter was found dead after falling from his third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, local police confirmed Wednesday. In a statement, the capital police added they were called to the hotel in the city's Palermo neighborhood, where they were notified of an "aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol."
In 2019, with the release of his debut solo album "LP1," Payne opened up to USA TODAY about his struggles with alcohol and desire for sobriety.
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At the time, he called his then-recent choice to go sober for a year "a case of growing up."
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"Luckily for me at those times (when I was drinking), I had the best people around me to make me realize different points in my life where I could be better," he said. "And obviously, having kids completely changes the mindset around everything you do."
He added: "I'm still quite young – I'd like to think so at least – so I still have a lot of learning left to go. I'm still very much finding myself as a person."
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He said drinking in moderation was a "constant learning curve" but touted therapy as a help to finding a healthy relationship with alcohol.
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"As you get older, hangovers become a completely different thing. There's that age-old saying, 'I'll just have one,' but you never really know. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you do make a mistake or the night does go a little too far," he said then. "As long as I can get my job done the next day at a capable level I'm happy with, I can just write that one off as a lesson and go, 'I won't do that again.' I still like to go out and enjoy myself."
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Payne was also open about life post-One Direction.
In 2015, after bandmate Zayn Malik left the group and the remaining foursome — with Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson — announced an indefinite hiatus, Payne said what was then referred to as a "break" was "starting to hit home a little bit."
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"It is definitely really sad for us. But obviously, we're going back into it. So it's not goodbye, it's just, 'See you later,'" he told USA TODAY. Each went on to pursue solo careers.
Years later, he reflected on the fervor around the boy band and how it had thankfully "died down" in recent years as fans grew older and no longer had "time to spend outside hotels waiting for us."
"The level of hysteria changes as your fans grow with you," he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental and/or substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's free and confidential treatment referral and information service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It's available 24/7 in English and Spanish (TTY: 1-800-487-4889).