Backstreet Boys Member AJ McLean Said He Had ‘Hard Conversations’ With Liam Payne

One Direction star Liam Payne died on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from the balcony of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Argentina . Payne had a troubled past and was open to speaking about the dark side of fame.

Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean is quite familiar with the industry, and he offered Payne advice before Payne’s death. Here’s the wisdom that McLean shared with the younger star. Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean told Liam Payne to surround himself with people who will tell him ‘no’ Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne are well-known as the men of One Direction.

At the time, the young boys found their way to each other via the U.K. show The X Factor.

They quickly found commercial success with their debut album — but the quintet struggled through the darker side of fame. Payne, who died on Oct. 16, 2024 , opened up in 2019 about his drug and alcohol addictions while talking to his friend, Ant Middleton.

“There are times when that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day, it’s like, ‘When will this end?’ That’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times,” Payne said. Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean is all too familiar with the ups and downs of fame. McLean told In Touch Weekly that he offered Payne sage advice about growing up in the music industry and what he needs to do to protect himself.

“He was playing some stuff from his upcoming projects and asking, you know, about mixes and about th.