-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email One Direction fans have banded together to push for U.K. lawmakers to enact legislation protecting artists' mental health as they progress through their careers, honoring the late One Direction band member Liam Payne .
Even in their grief, fans around the world have been moved to action following Payne's tragic and sudden death. The 31-year-old fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16. A recent toxicology report revealed that multiple drugs were in his system the night he died.
The tragedy has led to a Change.org petition spearheaded by fans who have proposed new legislation in Payne's name — "Liam's Law." The proposition urges strict requirements that artists have mental health professionals at their disposal, regular mental health check-ins and ample rest periods.
Related The tragedy of Liam Payne: A One Direction pop star life lived in spectacle Launched just days after Payne's death, the petition has already garnered over 95,000 signatures and is picking up steam. The fan who started the petition — referred to by the screenname Day Kv due to privacy concerns — spoke to NBC News about the initiative, saying she “wasn’t coping well, so I felt like I had to channel it somewhere.” Payne skyrocketed to fame at 16 when he auditioned for the talent show "The X Factor" in 2010 for a second time.
He would go on to be put in a makeshift boy band alongside four other boys including Harry Styles , Zayn Mal.